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North Korean Leader Says He Wants Better Ties With South North Korean Leader Says He Wants Better Ties With South
(about 1 hour later)
SEOUL, South Korea — The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, on Wednesday called for improving relations with South Korea and boasted of his regime’s tightened grip on power in his first public speech since the purge and execution of his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, last month.SEOUL, South Korea — The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, on Wednesday called for improving relations with South Korea and boasted of his regime’s tightened grip on power in his first public speech since the purge and execution of his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, last month.
“North and South Korea should create a mood to improve relations,” Mr. Kim said in a nationally televised New Year’s Day speech. “It’s time to end useless slandering and the North and the South should no longer do things that harm reconciliation and harmony.” “North and South Korea should create a mood to improve relations,” Mr. Kim said in a nationally televised New Year’s Day speech. “It’s time to end useless slandering, and the North and the South should no longer do things that harm reconciliation and harmony.”
Mr. Kim, after coming to power two years ago, began delivering a New Year’s Day speech, reviving the practice of his grandfather Kim Il-sung. During the rule of his reclusive father, Kim Jong-il, who died in December 2011, North Korea marked the New Year’s Day with a joint editorial by the country’s main state-run newspapers, instead of a speech by the leader. Mr. Kim began delivering a New Year’s Day speech after coming to power two years ago, reviving the practice of his grandfather Kim Il-sung. During the rule of his reclusive father, Kim Jong-il, the country’s main state-run newspapers issued a joint editorial to mark the day.
Analysts waited for this year’s speech with unusual interest because it would be the first since the purge of Mr. Jang, long considered to have been Mr. Kim’s mentor and the regime’s No. 2 figure. Mr. Jang was executed on Dec. 12 on charges of building a faction within the ruling Workers’ Party in a plot to overthrow Mr. Kim’s government. Analysts waited for this year’s speech with unusual interest because it would be the first since the purge of Mr. Jang, long considered Mr. Kim’s mentor and the regime’s No. 2 figure. Mr. Jang was executed on Dec. 12 on charges of building a faction within the ruling Workers’ Party in a plot to overthrow Mr. Kim’s government.
“We took decisive actions to remove factional filth,” Mr. Kim said in an apparent reference to the purge of Mr. Jang and his associates. “Our party has tightened its revolutionary ranks by making a timely decision to ferret out and purge the anti-party, anti-revolutionary factional clique.” “We took decisive actions to remove factional filth,” Mr. Kim said Wednesday in an apparent reference to the purge of Mr. Jang and his associates. “Our party has tightened its revolutionary ranks by making a timely decision to ferret out and purge the anti-party, anti-revolutionary factional clique.”
The purge of Mr. Jang was the biggest political upheaval in North Korea in recent years. Some analysts have said it indicated the further consolidation of Mr. Kim’s rule, as he claimed in his speech on Wednesday. But others speculated that Mr. Kim had failed to establish the kind of absolute authority that his father and grandfather wielded and that Mr. Jang’s highly unusual public fall from grace signaled a power struggle within the opaque regime in Pyongyang. The purge was the biggest political upheaval in North Korea in recent years. Some analysts have said it indicated the further consolidation of Mr. Kim’s rule. But others speculated that he had failed to establish the kind of absolute authority that his father and grandfather wielded and that the purge signaled a power struggle in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.
South Korean policy-makers have warned that North Korea may attempt military provocations against the South to build internal unity following the domestic political trouble. South Korean policy-makers have warned that North Korea may attempt military provocations against the South to build internal unity after the domestic political trouble.
In his speech, Mr. Kim repeated his government’s traditional condemnation of the United States and South Korea for conducting war games on the divided Korean Peninsula. In his speech, Mr. Kim repeated his government’s traditional condemnation of the United States and South Korea for conducting war games on the divided Korean Peninsula. The exercises “created a situation where a trifle military skirmish can spread into a full-blown war,” he said. “If there is another war on this land, it will bring about a nuclear catastrophe, and the United States won’t escape it, either.”
The military exercises “created a situation where a trifle military skirmish can spread into a full-blown war,” he said. “If there is another war on this land, it will bring about a nuclear catastrophe and the United States won’t escape it either.” Mr. Kim had also called for an end to “confrontation” with South Korea during his last New Year speech, after his country launched a rocket in December 2012. Washington condemned it as a test of long-range missile technology. Mr. Kim’s government further raised tensions by conducting its third underground nuclear test in February.
Mr. Kim had also called for an end to “confrontation” with South Korea during his last New Year’s speech, which followed his country’s launching of a rocket in December 2012. Washington condemned it as a test of long-range missile technology. But Mr. Kim’s government further raised tensions by conducting its third underground nuclear test in February of last year. In most of the first half of 2013, the North issued a torrent of threats of missile and nuclear attacks at South Korea, the United States and its bases around the Pacific. But it has since expressed a willingness to re-engage in dialogue.
It then spent most of the first half of 2013 issuing a torrent of threats to launch missile and nuclear attacks at South Korea, the United States and its military bases around the Pacific. But it has since toned down, expressing a willingness to re-engage the United States and South Korea in dialogue. Under Mr. Kim, North Korea adopted the simultaneous development of the economy and the nuclear weapons program as a key party line. Yet years of tightening sanctions have made reviving the moribund economy even harder. South Korean intelligence officials said Mr. Jang’s purge was partly the result of a factional struggle over the spoils of the country’s few sources of foreign currency, like exports of coal.
Under Mr. Kim, North Korea adopted the simultaneous development of the economy and its nuclear weapons program as a key party line. Yet years of tightening international sanctions that resulted from the country’s nuclear and missile tests have made reviving the country’s moribund economy even harder. South Korean intelligence officials said that the purge was partly the result of a factional struggle within the North Korean elite over who benefited more from the country’s precious few sources of foreign currency, like the exports of coal, crabs and clams. On Wednesday, Mr. Kim echoed the themes of previous New Year messages, emphasizing that improving the living standards of North Koreans and rejuvenating agriculture were main priorities. But he also reiterated a call for strengthening the military through the development of advanced weapons like drones.
On Wednesday, Mr. Kim echoed the themes of previous New Year’s messages, emphasizing that improving the living standards of North Koreans and rejuvenating agriculture and light industry were among the impoverished country’s main priorities. But he also reiterated a call for strengthening the military through the development of more advanced weapons, such as drones. North Korea has often called for improved ties with the South in its New Year messages. It hopes for the return of billions of dollars of South Korean investment, aid and trade, which had flowed during an era of reconciliation between 1998 and 2008.
North Korea has often called for improved ties with the South in its New Year’s messages. It hopes for the return of billions of dollars of South Korean investment, aid and trade, which had flown into the impoverished North during an era of reconciliation between 1998 and 2008. South Korea’s president, Park Geun-hye, a conservative, says her nation will not provide aid until the North wins the South’s “trust” by moving toward denuclearization.
The warming of ties ended when conservatives came to power in South Korea in 2008. President Park Geun-hye of South Korea, also a conservative, insisted that her nation would not provide the North with economic aid until it won the South’s “trust” by moving toward denuclearization.