10 Years of Kim Jong-un's Rule, Negative Assessments Pour in from Foreign Media

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Negative assessments from foreign media poured in, stating that North Korea's economic situation has worsened further after 10 years of Kim Jong-un's rule as the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. This is in stark contrast to North Korean media's efforts to strengthen the idolization of Kim Jong-un.

According to major foreign media on the 19th, British Reuters described "Kim Jong-un's first 10 years as defined by the pursuit of nuclear weapons." While North Korea has strengthened its defense capabilities since Kim Jong-un took power, it has become more isolated.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It also criticized that although there were expectations that the General Secretary would reform the North Korean economy and seek changes in relations with South Korea and the United States, no structural changes have occurred.

Furthermore, it introduced the analysis of Christopher Green, a Korea expert at Leiden University in the Netherlands, who said, "Ordinary North Korean residents initially had temporary hope in Kim Jong-un's rule during the first few years, but later their expectations likely decreased to an average level."

Testimonies from defectors also revealed the dire economic situation and appalling human rights conditions in North Korea. On the 17th (local time), British BBC interviewed 10 defectors and reported that North Korea has ultimately become a poorer and more isolated country.

Defector Yoon Min-su testified that he was taken away and publicly criticized for watching South Korean DVDs and wearing earrings, necklaces, and jeans. Defector singer Hyun Young claimed she was punished for attempting to sing songs that were not praising the leader.

In the interviews, defectors criticized that the nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development programs, which the General Secretary ambitiously pushed forward, did not instill pride in North Korean residents but rather made their lives more difficult. One defector said, "People (in North Korea) still say that they are squeezing the blood and sweat of the people to make weapons."

Additionally, the British daily The Guardian reported, "The year that began with Kim Jong-un being elevated to the position of General Secretary of the Workers' Party, a position once held by his father, is ending amid food shortages, a pandemic, and fears over the economic situation."

The American daily The Washington Post (WP) also introduced major North Korea-related issues over the past 10 years in an article titled "Kim Jong-un's 10 Years: Nuclear Tests, Diplomacy, and K-Pop," covering the death of American college student Otto Warmbier, the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, and the North Korea-U.S. summits.