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N Korean leader Kim tells party congress economic plan failed 'tremendously'

35 Comments
By Hyonhee Shin

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Thats becuase you dont have free markets.

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

He is as slippery as an eel with a fox tail.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

...said his five-year economic plan had failed to meet its goals "on almost every sector"

That’s tragic for him, as he now must arrest himself and mow down by a flak in the neighboring chamber. No, this won’t happen, because he is not guilty, the system there itself is erroneous and simply cannot other than fail ‘on all sectors’, not only almost. lol

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Clever, cynical move.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I guess he's not wrong about everything, then.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

North Korea has an economy? really, I thought everything just flows to Kim Dong Un

1 ( +5 / -4 )

I can see that there soon may be some positions opening in NK for a soon-to-be ex-president of the US.

I’m sure his ‘best friend’ (“We fell in love”) would welcome him there so that some yuuuuuuuuuge changes could be made.

Elections always 100% vote going for the leader, so that’s good. And they have golf courses there, right?

I mean, what could go wrong?

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Is Kim telling the truth this time? One would suppose he is, under the existing unfavorable circumstances.

He admits his 2016 five-year economic plan has failed miserably. Therefore, more harsh actions required. Could he not be instilling fear in his people?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

"tremendously" - chairman Kim (aka Harley Davidson Fat Boy) only shook hands with Trump once and he's talking like Trump already, tremendous!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Whatever your view might be of NK I do find it refreshingly pleasing when a politician admits they got it totally wrong.  Rare thing these days.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

He should publicly flog himself with barbwire and then shoot himself with anti-aircraft fire...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Who will die FIRST ?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Personally, I don't trust any of the Kim family, they're all ruthless, cunning rats. For all we know he could be setting himself up for 2045, he's certainly helping MJI with the plan.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

This time, is Kim telling the truth? Under the current adverse conditions, one would suppose he is. His 2016 five-year economic strategy has failed miserably, he admits. More harsh acts, therefore, are required. But no one knows what's going on inside that mind, until they are measurably taken and changed, Kim never socially reveals the stats. Maybe he'd come up with something in his next address that no one expected.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Don't you want to see DT over there, clap-clap-clapping for the Kim family?

He could be Minister for Prescribed Hairstyles

https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2014/apr/24/north-korean-hair-cuts-in-pictures

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Making fun of other’s hair styles is so immature and off topic.

Nk is going through some tougher times than most places. Show some empathy.

And welcome back after twenty four hours off.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

LeoToday  12:44 pm JST

Thats becuase you dont have free markets.

Hole in one.

Gotta love socialism, the fast track to misery and failure.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

P. SmithToday  09:49 pm JST

Thats becuase you dont have free markets.

No country has truly free markets.

Gotta love socialism, the fast track to misery and failure.

Only in the minds of low information people who constantly confuse the economic system of socialism with the tyrants and authoritarians who have bastardized the economic system labeled socialism.

Without wanting to get too bogged down in this argument again, socialism fails to take human nature into account, and its adherents attempt to paint a rosy picture of a utopian workers' paradise. Nice in theory, but it doesn't work in practice, and invariably ends in misery because it does not reward risk and innovation, and has no reliable pricing mechanism for allocating resources.

B...b...but Scandinavia! No, Scandinavian countries have extensive social welfare systems that require a strong market economy backed by private property rights to fund them. In Norway's case, the welfare system is also heavily funded by fossil fuels. That must make some people very uncomfortable. Doesn't stop them from sharing in the wealth, though.

But back on topic, the Kim regime came to power backed by the despotic Stalin and promising the people a glorious workers' paradise. But socialist/communist economics enforced at gunpoint has failed miserably to allocate resources, including food (except for Kim, of course. He seems to be doing alright in that department). The only success, if you can call it that, was the no possessions bit.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Spend some time reading a site called "38North: Informed Analysis of Events in and Around North Korea". Also read another affiliated site called "North Korean Economy Watch". These sites provide detailed analysis of events and people in DPRK. They don't promote DPRK at all, but they avoid the hysterics of the popular press regarding events there and dig into the details of what is happening, including analysis of commercial satellite imagery. They also spend a lot of time picking apart the speeches of high DPRK officials and especially those of Kim. What you find is they are not as irrational as many imagine, but there is a combination of the DPRKs failure to clearly communicate their interests and much of the west failing to understand what the North Koreans are saying that exacerbate the problems the west has with North Korea.

https://www.38north.org/

http://www.nkeconwatch.com/

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Gotta love socialism, the fast track to misery and failure.

Can 4 years of abject failure be called a 'fast track' to success? 3,500 covid deaths yesterday, how much 'misery and failure' do you want?

The last 4 years of being socialist but pretending not to be have worked out well in America. Once again, non-socialism seems to be a very expensive way to run a country for very little gain. Unless it's in the pocket of the guy at the top.

It'll soon be time for the grown ups to take control again.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Kim needs to lay out a 20 yr plan to become a free-democracy, initially with all sorts of controls to prevent NK people from being screwed out of the pie, reuniting families as each family chooses ASAP, but slowly opening to become somewhat like SK, a stable democracy.

Then someday after that, they can merge into a single country again.

Think of all the wasted money on war-stance that wouldn't be needed anymore which could go directly towards tax cuts and services that actually help the Korean people.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@theFu that would require the ruling elite to give up taking all the power and wealth to themselves. If they had any sense of reform for their country to get better and become more prosperous, they'd have to make that decision... but too many are unwilling. "Better to rule in hell than be a servant in heaven..." I gather.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

blvtzpkJan. 6  01:16 pm JST

I can see that there soon may be some positions opening in NK for a soon-to-be ex-president of the US.

I’m sure his ‘best friend’ (“We fell in love”) would welcome him there so that some yuuuuuuuuuge changes could be made.

Elections always 100% vote going for the leader, so that’s good. And they have golf courses there, right?

I mean, what could go wrong?

At least Kim is admitting he screwed up, possibly. Or maybe he'll badmouth others for the mistakes like his lover boy Trump does anyway. Besides, these 'X- year' economic plans are destined to fail because you can never predict what will happen. And yes, farming and weather - a political leader can't control that!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

What's amazing is not that Kim admits failure of his government. Nope, what astounds me is that at no point did he blame North Korea's shortcomings on Japan for it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

oldman_13Today  05:55 am JST

What's amazing is not that Kim admits failure of his government. Nope, what astounds me is that at no point did he blame North Korea's shortcomings on Japan for it.

Very surprizing indeed. Dirtbags like Kim usually blame everything on other nations. No wait! Trump does the same thing everyday.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

ClippetyClopJan. 6  11:43 pm JST

Gotta love socialism, the fast track to misery and failure.

Can 4 years of abject failure be called a 'fast track' to success? 3,500 covid deaths yesterday, how much 'misery and failure' do you want?

The last 4 years of being socialist but pretending not to be have worked out well in America. Once again, non-socialism seems to be a very expensive way to run a country for very little gain. Unless it's in the pocket of the guy at the top.

It'll soon be time for the grown ups to take control again.

Do you have any idea what socialism is?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

starpunk

I doubt that the Kim Klan will take any responsibility for what has occurred. There are always disposable minions to take the blame.

For clarity's sake, I would not describe NK as a communist/socialist state. It may have started out that way, but now it's a hereditary dictatorship. It's much more akin to a medieval regal regin, with leaders treated like gods, and serfs at the bottom.

Oh, that plus nuclear weapons.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

blvtzpkToday  11:41 am JST

starpunk

I doubt that the Kim Klan will take any responsibility for what has occurred. There are always disposable minions to take the blame.

For clarity's sake, I would not describe NK as a communist/socialist state. It may have started out that way, but now it's a hereditary dictatorship. It's much more akin to a medieval regal regin, with leaders treated like gods, and serfs at the bottom.

Oh, that plus nuclear weapons.

Socialism is an economic system or idea. It's been practiced by ancient Hebrews and all Native American nations and others before it had a name. And it goes on in several countries today without the name, it's just something they do.

'Communism' is a theory that Marx espoused that humanity would make itself egalitarian and that man's exploitation of itself would end. When Lenin took over the Russian Empire, he hijacked the name and twisted the ideals into something oppressive and grossly ugly. Marx would not recognize any nation calling itself 'communist'. Then Stalin came, and Mao had his own even uglier bastardization, then Tito and Khmer Rouge and others - like the heridatary dictatorship of NK.

Marx's utopian vision never came to be but in the field of sociology his influence was tremendous.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

fff

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's definitely opposite day when a dictator would ever admit mistakes, while an elected president would never

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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