Could North Korea Use the Upcoming Election as a Chance for Change?

The recent military parade in North Korea held in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Worker’s Party of Korea saw the appearance of some exotic weaponry, such as extremely large intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. There is a chance that those ICBMs are also hard-to-intercept multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, which pose an increased threat not only to Japan and South Korea, but to the United States as well.

In his speech, Chairman Kim Jong Un stated that North Korea will “continue to increase its nuclear war deterrence.” However, this violates the pact he made with the U.S. at the 2018 leadership summit in which he agreed that North Korea would “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” making this recent statement an act of provocation against the international community.

We can surmise that in doing so, Kim's intentions were to shake up the U.S. while simultaneously enhancing North Korea’s national prestige and promoting solidarity. However, the average North Korean citizen does not have the time to sit around pondering such things considering the country is currently facing a “triple threat” of hardship, which include coping with lengthened economic restrictions, dealing with the impact of COVID-19, and recovering from the damage left in the wake of a recent, large-scale typhoon.

The military parade served as a reflection of the difficult situation in which Kim finds himself. In his speech, he apologized by claiming “my efforts and sincerity have not been sufficient enough to rid our people of the difficulties in their life,” and there were multiple instances where he expressed gratitude while being moved to tears. However, even Kim must know the fundamental cause of the economic slump.

What the average citizen wants is not to attend some flashy and dramatic performance or mass games. Even the burden of the “80-day battle” — the nationwide effirt in which citizens make sacrifices for the sake of the country’s economic development — is too much to bear. No matter how much the Politburo cries “self-reliance” in the face of sanctions, there is a limit to the extent the country can continue to develop its extremely costly nuclear programs.

It is the government’s responsibility to devise and implement ways to improve the livelihood of its citizens. In order for North Korea to truly restore its economy, it will need to abandon the nuclear weapons and missiles that are threatening the security of the region, and join hands with the international community.

In his speech, Kim refrained from expressing any hostility toward the United States. In reference to the country’s nuclear stockpile, he claimed that “we are developing it in order to defend ourselves,” and emphasized that it was not something aimed at a specific country. This is because Kim is hoping to improve relations with the U.S.

Taking the initiative in the stagnating denuclearization negotiations with the U.S. and restarting the conversation is the highest priority. North Korea should use the upcoming U.S. presidential election as an opportunity to change its ways.