NORTH KOREA’S ECONOMY

N.KOREA MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN REFORM OR COLLAPSE

The Chosun Ilbo, September 6, 2010

All eyes are on an extraordinary gathering this week of senior representatives of North Korea's Workers Party, the first one to be held in 44 years. According to regulations, such a gathering takes place between annual conventions only to handle emergency issues, such as policies and strategic planning. Until now, only two such congresses have taken place, one in 1958 and the other in 1966.

North Korea's state-run Rodong Sinmun daily said in an editorial on Thursday, "Today socialist China is growing rapidly, guaranteeing the country's prosperity. Under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party headed by Comrade Hu Jintao, the people of China are engaged in a bold struggle to build a unique socialist society under the banners of Deng Xiaoping's doctrine, three chief ideologies and scientific development." The Deng doctrine served as the basis for China's own style of reforms, while the three chief ideologies stipulate that the Chinese Communist Party must embrace laborers, intellectuals and capitalists. It is rare for North Korea's party newspaper to praise Chinese-style reforms.

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