North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un stresses on self-sufficient economy: Report

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stressed on the development of a self-sufficient economy and improvement of the standard of living at a politburo meeting, said the state media. The two-day politburo meeting comes at a time when Pyongyang is battling with economic fallout due to the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions with South Korea.

According to KNCA, North’s Supreme Leader discussed some urgent problems related to the chemical industry and emphasised that the chemical and metallurgical industries are the twin-pillars of the “self-supporting economy”. The international sanctions of North Korea to curb its nuclear activities have forced the country to opt for import substitution.

Kim reportedly called for building reliable national-level scientific research force, actively laying a material foundation for developing catalyst industry. He also stressed upon taking strong state measures for ensuring the living conditions of people, including the construction of dwelling houses, said KCNA.

No reported coronavirus case

Surprisingly, North Korea has not reported a single confirmed case of coronavirus so far which the Politburo had reportedly called as a result of the country’s “top-class emergency anti-epidemic measures” from the outset. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had also said that it has been receiving weekly updates from the health ministry and the country has the capacity to test coronavirus in its national reference laboratory in Pyongyang.

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However, it remains almost impossible for foreign media to independently confirm the health condition of North Korea’s leader due to the lack of press freedom. Reporters Without Borders, in its recent World Press Freedom Index report, said that foreign correspondents are not permitted to investigate the measures taken by Pyongyang to protect itself from the pandemic.

The dissemination of news about the coronavirus is also restricted by technical means as the internal transmission of documents is in the hands of the national intranet, putting almost total control of communications. Several foreign experts have raised doubts over the veracity of report on coronavirus from North Korea, which shares a border with China and South Korea.

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(Image credit: AP)