New Developments in North Korea’s Socialist Theory and Practice during the Ten Years of Kim Jong-un’s Rule

On December 17, 2011, Kim Jong-il, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, passed away, and Kim Jong-un became the supreme leader of the Party and the military. In the ten years of Kim Jong-un’s rule, the Workers’ Party of Korea, in response to changes in the domestic and international situation, completed a strategic shift from the “byungjin line” [1]1 The byungjin line (병진노선) refers to the policy of simultaneously pursuing economic construction and nuclear weapons development, formally adopted by North Korea in 2013. to the “frontal breakthrough battle” [2]2 The “frontal breakthrough battle” (정면돌파전) is a strategic slogan adopted by Kim Jong-un around 2019, emphasizing a direct offensive to overcome sanctions and economic difficulties. on the basis of “military-first politics” [3]3 “Military-first politics” (선군정치, Songun) is a policy prioritizing the Korean People’s Army in state affairs, developed by Kim Jong-il., shifting the Party’s work focus to economic construction and achieving new developments in both socialist theory and practice. Especially under the impact of sustained high-intensity international sanctions, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Workers’ Party of Korea led and relied on the people to actively overcome difficulties and still achieved breakthroughs in the socialist cause. *Rodong Sinmun* [4]4 *Rodong Sinmun* (로동신문) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. evaluated Kim Jong-un’s ten years in power as “turning unprecedented challenges and difficulties into great victories,” stating that “the country’s comprehensive national power and strategic position have risen to an unprecedented level amid difficulties never seen before.” Reviewing and fully understanding the new developments in North Korea’s socialist theory and practice during Kim Jong-un’s ten years in power helps us deepen our understanding of North Korea’s new changes.

2011年12月17日，朝鲜劳动党总书记金正日去世，金正恩成为朝鲜党和军队最高领导人。金正恩执政十年来，朝鲜劳动党根据国内外形势的变化，在“先军政治”的基础上，完成了从“并举路线”到“正面突破战”战略的转变，将党的工作中心转移到经济建设上，在社会主义理论和实践方面均取得了新发展。尤其是在持续高强度国际制裁及自然灾害、新冠疫情的冲击下，朝鲜劳动党带领和依靠人民积极克服难关，依然实现了社会主义事业的突破。《劳动新闻》评价金正恩执政的十年“把史无前例的挑战和困难转变为巨大的胜利”，“国家的综合国力和战略地位在未曾有过的困难中空前提高”。回顾并充分了解金正恩执政十年来朝鲜社会主义理论与实践的新发展，有助于我们加深对朝鲜新变化的认识。

01. Summaries of the North Korean Socialist Cause by the Two National Congresses of the Workers’ Party of Korea since Kim Jong-un Came to Power

01.金正恩执政以来，朝鲜劳动党两次全国代表大会对朝鲜社会主义事业的总结

On May 6, 2016, the Workers’ Party of Korea convened its Seventh National Congress. This was the Party’s first congress since Kim Jong-un came to power and the first congress since the Sixth Congress in 1980, after a 36-year interval. This congress was hailed by North Korea as a “historic watershed” for building a socialist strong nation, and scholars studying North Korean issues also believed that the congress declared the Party and government system had been put on the right track, moving from the “old normal” to the “new normal.” The congress first reviewed the struggle process of the Workers’ Party of Korea in winning victory for the socialist cause since the Sixth Congress, summarizing the socialist construction practice of the past 36 years, especially the five years of Kim Jong-un’s rule, and drawing the following five points of experience: First, strengthen ideological and political education, and firmly believe in the correctness and inevitable victory of the socialist cause; second, national defense must be developed, using the gun barrel to defend socialist North Korea; third, adhere to “everything for the people, everything relying on the masses of the people,” thereby achieving political stability and consolidating the integrated relationship between the Party and the people; fourth, the victory of the revolutionary cause must be achieved under the leadership of the great leader and the Party, and the leader’s cause must be correctly inherited; fifth, in the socialist cause, the anti-imperialist, independent stance and socialist principles must be upheld.

2016年5月6日，朝鲜劳动党召开第七次全国代表大会。这是金正恩执政以来劳动党的第一次大会，也是劳动党自1980年六大后时隔36年召开的首次大会。这次大会被朝鲜称为社会主义强国建设的“历史分水岭”，研究朝鲜问题的相关学者也认为大会宣告朝鲜的党政体制步入正轨，从“旧常态”走向“新常态”。大会首先回顾了劳动党六大以来朝鲜争取社会主义事业胜利的斗争过程，对过去36年尤其是金正恩执政五年来的社会主义建设实践进行了总结，得出以下五点经验：第一，加强思想政治教育，坚定社会主义事业的正确性及其必然胜利的信念；第二，必须发展国防，用枪杆子捍卫社会主义朝鲜；第三，坚持“一切为人民，一切都依靠人民群众”，从而实现政治稳定，党和人民的浑然一体的关系得到巩固；第四，革命事业的胜利必须在伟大领袖和党的领导下实现，必须正确继承领袖的事业。第五，在社会主义事业中要坚持反帝自主立场和社会主义原则。

The Seventh Congress further clarified the basic tasks of North Korea’s socialist construction, namely, completing the building of a socialist strong nation, constructing a “country with the hallmarks of a strong nation in all fields, including politics, military, economy, science and technology, and culture,” and on the basis of consolidating a military strong nation and a political strong nation, building a strong nation in science and technology, economy, and civilization. The meeting also demanded continued adherence to the strategic line of “simultaneously pursuing economic construction and nuclear force building,” and pointed out that this line “is not a temporary countermeasure to cope with the rapidly changing situation, but a strategic line that must be persistently pursued from the supreme interests of our revolution.” The Seventh Congress also supplemented and developed the connotation of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism and further explained its status and role. In his report to the Seventh Congress, Kim Jong-un pointed out that Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism is a unified system of the Juche idea [5]5 The Juche idea (주체사상) is the official ideology of North Korea, emphasizing national self-reliance and independence, formulated by Kim Il-sung. founded by Kim Il-sung and further developed by Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, along with the theories and methods on revolution and construction elucidated thereby. It is based on the “Juche idea” and “military-first politics,” scientifically clarifying the laws for fully realizing the Party’s ultimate goal and the strategic policies to be adhered to in completing the socialist cause. Kim Jong-un emphasized that the Kimilsungism-Kimjongilismization of the whole society is the Party’s highest program and the sole guiding principle for advancing the revolution, and that Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism is the eternal guiding ideology of the Party and the revolution.

七大进一步明确了朝鲜社会主义建设的基本任务，即完成社会主义强国建设，建设在“政治、军事、经济、科技、文化等所有领域具备强国标志的国家”，在巩固军事强国、政治强国的基础上，建设科技强国、经济强国、文明强国。会议还要求继续坚持“经济建设和核武力建设并举”的战略路线，并指出该路线“不是对付剧变的形势的暂时的对应措施，而是从我国革命的最高利益出发，必须持之以恒的战略路线”。七大还对金日成金正日主义的内涵进行了补充和发展，并对其地位和作用进行了进一步阐释。金正恩在七大报告中指出，金日成金正日主义是由金日成创立并由金日成和金正日深入发展的主体思想及其阐明的关于革命和建设的理论与方法的统一体系，它以“主体思想”和“先军政治”为基础，科学地阐明完全实现党的最终目标的规律以及完成社会主义事业所要坚持的战略方针。金正恩强调，全社会的金日成金正日主义化是党的最高纲领，是推进革命的唯一指导方针，金日成金正日主义是党和革命永恒的指导思想。

In January 2021, the Workers’ Party of Korea convened its watershed Eighth National Congress. With the theme of “rectification and enrichment” [6]6 “Rectification and enrichment” (정돈과 충실) refers to the Eighth Congress’s focus on correcting past mistakes and strengthening the Party’s organizational and ideological foundations., the congress, on the basis of summarizing several practical and theoretical issues since the Seventh Congress, objectively evaluated the internal and external situation facing North Korea. In Party building, the Workers’ Party of Korea, through amending the Party constitution, further enriched and perfected Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism with the “people-first principle” [7]7 The “people-first principle” (인민대중제일주의) is a political doctrine promoted by Kim Jong-un, prioritizing the interests and welfare of the masses., achieved the replacement of the old with the new among high-level Party leaders, promoted the regularization of inner-Party political life, effectively strengthened the authority of the Party Central Committee with Kim Jong-un at its core, and clarified the Party’s line and program for the new historical period; in the cause of socialist construction, the meeting, while affirming the great achievements made under the guidance of the byungjin line over the past five years, boldly reviewed shortcomings and deficiencies. Kim Jong-un pointed out that, impacted by the three external factors of sanctions, nature, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Party cadres and members “have not corrected the erroneous ideological viewpoints, irresponsible work attitudes, and incompetence that have spread to this day, as well as the work methods that remain unchanged even now,” leading to the failure to achieve most of the goals of the previous five-year plan. Therefore, the Workers’ Party of Korea proposed a new five-year economic development plan with “self-reliance” as its core theme, requiring that future economic construction aim to consolidate the foundation of self-sufficiency, ultimately achieving the goal of “entering a normal track that is not affected by any external influence and can be flexibly operated.” The convening of the Eighth Congress and the adoption of related resolutions are milestones in the history of North Korea’s socialist development, marking the growing maturity and stability of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s Party building, ushering in an important opportunity for new development in the North Korean socialist cause, and further elevating North Korea’s understanding of socialism.

2021年1月，朝鲜劳动党召开具有分水岭意义的第八次全国代表大会。会议以“整饬、充实”为主题，在总结七大以来若干实践和理论问题的基础上，客观评价朝鲜面临的内外形势。在党的建设上，朝鲜劳动党通过修改党章，进一步以“人民群众第一主义”充实完善金日成金正日主义，实现了党高层领导的新老交替，推动党内政治生活正规化，有力加强了以金正恩为核心的党中央权威，明确了新的历史时期党的路线和纲领；在社会主义建设事业方面，会议在肯定过去五年并举路线指引下所取得的巨大成就的基础上，大胆检讨缺点与不足。金正恩指出，受制裁、自然、新冠疫情三大外部因素冲击，党员干部“没有改正蔓延至今的错误的思想观点、不负责任的工作态度和无能为力以及到了现在还这样依然如故的工作方式”，导致上一个五年计划大部分目标远未达成。因此，朝鲜劳动党提出以“自力更生”为核心主题的新经济发展五年计划，要求今后经济建设要夯实自立基础的目标，最终实现自身发展走上“不受任何外部影响并灵活运营的正常轨道”。八大的召开以及相关决议的出台是朝鲜社会主义发展历史上的里程碑，标志着朝鲜劳动党的建设日臻成熟定型，朝鲜社会主义事业迎来了新发展的重要契机，朝鲜对社会主义的认识有了进一步的提升。

02. New Developments in North Korea’s Socialist Theory since Kim Jong-un Came to Power

02.金正恩执政以来朝鲜社会主义理论的新发展

The revolutionary mentor Lenin pointed out, “Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement.” The experience of the world socialist movement shows that scientific theory is of great significance for guiding practice. Since Kim Jong-un came to power, the Workers’ Party of Korea, based on its national conditions and new changes in the international environment, while exploring the path of North Korean-style socialist development, has put forward a series of new theories and propositions, enriching and perfecting the Party’s ideological content.

革命导师列宁指出，“没有革命的理论，就不会有革命的运动”。世界社会主义运动的经验表明，科学的理论对于指导实践具有重要意义。金正恩执政以来，朝鲜劳动党立足本国国情和国际环境的新变化，在探索朝鲜式社会主义发展道路的同时，提出了一系列新理论新主张，丰富完善了党的思想内容。

(I) On Party Building

（一）关于党的建设

First, Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism was established as the Party’s guiding ideology. For a long time, Kim Il-sung’s “Juche idea” and Kim Jong-il’s “military-first politics” were the guiding ideologies of the Workers’ Party of Korea. After Kim Jong-un came to power, in order to unify inner-Party thinking as quickly as possible, he gradually systematized and theorized the “Juche idea” and “military-first politics.” On April 6, 2012, in an article titled “Let Us Faithfully Uphold the Great Comrade Kim Jong-il as the Eternal General Secretary of Our Party and Brilliantly Accomplish the Juche Revolutionary Cause,” Kim Jong-un proposed changing the guiding ideology of the Workers’ Party of Korea to Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, making the Party’s highest program the Kimilsungism-Kimjongilismization of the whole society, and emphasizing that it is a systematic embodiment of the Juche idea, theory, and method. On April 11 of the same year, the Fourth Conference of the Workers’ Party of Korea adopted the “Revision of the Charter of the Workers’ Party of Korea,” formally establishing Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism as the Party’s sole guiding ideology. North Korean scholars point out that “from the perspective of the composition system and content of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, it is a unified system of the Juche idea founded by President Kim Il-sung and further developed by President Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, along with the theories and methods on revolution and construction elucidated thereby.” At the Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un further explained the status of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, pointing out that it is “based on the great Juche idea and military-first idea, comprehensively summarizing the revolutionary theory and leadership methods for winning the final victory of the socialist cause,” and that the current building of a socialist strong nation “is a historical stage in the struggle to realize the Kimilsungism-Kimjongilismization of the whole society.” Thus, the “Juche idea” and “military-first politics” are the theoretical foundation of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, which was systematized and theorized by Kim Jong-un, thereby elevating it into the guiding ideology for the Workers’ Party of Korea’s socialist construction in the new period.

首先，把金日成金正日主义确立为党的指导思想。长期以来，金日成的“主体思想”和金正日的“先军政治”是朝鲜劳动党的指导思想。金正恩执政后，为尽快统一党内思想，逐步将“主体思想”和“先军政治”主义化体系化。2012年4月6日，金正恩在题为《竭诚拥戴伟大的金正日同志为我们党永远的总书记，出色地完成主体革命事业》一文中提出将朝鲜劳动党的指导思想更改为金日成金正日主义，党的最高纲领为全社会的金日成金正日主义化，并强调其是主体性思想、理论、方法的系统体现。同年4月11日，朝鲜劳动党第四次代表会议通过《关于修订朝鲜劳动党章程》，正式将金日成金正日主义确立为党的唯一指导思想。朝鲜学者指出，“从金日成金正日主义的构成体系和内容来看，它是金日成主席创立的、金日成主席和金正日深入发展的主体思想与据此阐明的有关革命和建设的理论、方法的统一体系”。金正恩在朝鲜劳动党第七次代表大会进一步对金日成金正日主义的地位进行了阐释，指出它是“ 以伟大的主体思想和先军思想为基础，全面地概括了争取社会主义事业最后胜利的革命理论和领导方法”，当前的社会主义强国建设，“是实现全社会的金日成金正日主义化斗争的历史阶段”。由此可见，“主体思想”和“先军政治”是金日成金正日主义的理论基础，并由金正恩将其主义化体系化，从而升华为朝鲜劳动党在新时期进行社会主义建设的指导思想。

Second, establishing the Party’s sole leadership system. Successive North Korean leaders have attached importance to the Party’s leadership over all work. However, in the mid-to-late 1990s, out of security concerns, North Korea adopted *songun* (military-first) politics as the Party’s basic political mode, which in practice weakened the Party’s leadership. After Kim Jong-un came to power, he proposed establishing the Party’s sole leadership system and strengthening the Party’s leadership over all work, so as to bring the country’s political life back onto a normal track. In June 2013, North Korea revised the “Ten Principles for Establishing the Party’s Sole Leadership System,” [8]8 The “Ten Principles for Establishing the Party’s Sole Leadership System” is a set of rules first codified in 1974 under Kim Il-sung and revised in 2013 under Kim Jong-un to reinforce the absolute authority of the Workers’ Party of Korea and its leader over all state and social affairs. highlighting the Party’s sole leadership and requiring that all undertakings be organized and conducted under the Party’s leadership, and that all major decisions be made through mechanisms such as the Politburo meetings of the Central Committee and the Supreme People’s Assembly. In 2014, Kim Jong-un delivered a speech at the Eighth Conference of Ideological Workers of the Workers’ Party of Korea, emphasizing the need to establish the Party’s sole leadership system throughout the Party and society, and to strengthen the Party’s unity and combat effectiveness. In January 2021, the Eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea was convened, and Kim Jong-un was elected General Secretary, marking the formal establishment of a Party leadership system headed by the General Secretary. With the establishment of the Party’s sole leadership system, all undertakings in North Korea are carried out under the Party’s leadership, and inner-Party political life has been normalized. Kim Jong-un once pointed out, “Party leadership is the essential requirement of socialist state construction and the lifeline of state activities,” and *Rodong Sinmun* [9]9 *Rodong Sinmun* is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. called the power of the Party’s sole leadership system “the invincible strength of the Workers’ Party of Korea.”

其次，确立党的唯一领导体系。朝鲜历代领导人重视党对一切工作的领导。但是，上世纪90年代中后期，朝鲜出于安全忧虑，把先军政治作为党的基本政治方式，实际上弱化了党的领导。金正恩执政后，提出确立党的唯一领导体系，加强党对一切工作的领导，以使国家政治生活回到正常轨道。2013年6月，朝鲜修订《树立党的唯一领导体系十大原则》，突出党的唯一领导，要求所有事业都在党的领导下组织和进行，所有重大决策通过党中央政治局会议和最高人民会议等机制来决定。2014年，金正恩在劳动党第八次思想工作者大会上发表讲话，强调要在全党和全社会建立党的唯一领导体系，加强党的统一团结和战斗力。2021年1月朝鲜劳动党八大召开，金正恩当选为总书记，标志着朝鲜正式确立了以总书记为首脑的党的领导体制。确立党的唯一领导体系，朝鲜的各项事业都在党的领导下开展，党内政治生活实现正常化。金正恩曾经指出，“党的领导，是社会主义国家建设的本质要求，是国家活动的生命线”，《劳动新闻》称党的唯一领导体系的威力是“朝鲜劳动党的百战百胜之力量”。

Third, establishing the Party’s purpose and ideology. In his concluding remarks at the Eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un called on the entire Party to revisit the spirit of “people as heaven,” “unity and solidarity,” and “self-reliance,” and to replace the Eighth Congress slogan with these, emphasizing that these are the three lofty purposes and ideologies of the Workers’ Party of Korea, “the fundamental secret to enhancing our Party’s leadership capacity, the fundamental path for our Party to take deeper root among the masses, and the fundamental guarantee for our only way forward and for opening up our future.” These three ideologies developed the pre-Eighth Congress eight-character guideline of “unity and solidarity, self-reliance” and complement the “people-first principle.” Kim Jong-un also discussed the importance of these three ideologies. He pointed out, “‘People as heaven’ reflects our Party’s unwavering requirement: serving the people wholeheartedly is the starting point and unchanging principle of the Party’s construction and activities, and the revolutionary Party style that must always be upheld. Unity and solidarity and self-reliance contain the theoretical viewpoints and policy requirements concerning the lifeline and driving force of our revolution.”

再次，确立党的宗旨和理念。金正恩在劳动党八大所作结论中要求全党重温“以民为天”、“团结一心”和“自力更生”精神，并以此代替八大口号，强调这是朝鲜劳动党崇高的三项宗旨和理念，是“增强我们党的领导能力的根本秘诀所在，是我们党更深深扎根于人民群众的根本途径所在，也是我们唯一的活路和开拓前途的根本保证所在”。这三个理念发展了八大之前的“团结一心、自力更生”的八字方针，与“人民群众第一主义”相辅相成。金正恩还对这三个理念的重要性作了论述。他指出，“‘以民为天’反映了我们党始终不渝的要求：全党为民服务就是党的建设与活动的出发点、一成不变的原则、始终坚持的革命性党风。团结一心和自力更生，蕴含着关于我国革命的生命线和前进动力的思想理论观点与政策要求”。

Finally, transforming the basic political mode of North Korean-style socialism. In his report to the Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un proposed “to fully embody the people-first principle in all Party work,” stating that “embodying the people-first principle is the essential requirement of our Party, which struggles for the people and conducts activities relying on the people.” Since the Seventh Congress, the “people-first principle” has gradually risen to become the political mode and ideology of the Workers’ Party of Korea. The Eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea adopted the resolution “On Amending the Rules of the Workers’ Party of Korea,” formally stipulating “the people-first principle politics as the basic political mode of socialism,” replacing the previous content related to “*songun* politics.” The Eighth Congress formally enshrined the “people-first principle” in the Party Rules, marking the establishment of the basic political mode of North Korean socialism in the new period and also marking the basic formation of Kim Jong-un’s view of the people after ten years in power. North Korean official media commented that Kim Jong-un’s view of the people is an inheritance and development of the “people as heaven” thought of Kim Il-sung and the “benevolent politics” of Kim Jong-il, the two previous generations of North Korean leaders, and is “Comrade Kim Jong-un’s people-first principle politics, which excellently embodies Comrade Kim Il-sung’s and Comrade Kim Jong-il’s ‘people as heaven’ thought and benevolent politics at the highest level.”

最后，转变朝鲜式社会主义的基本政治方式。金正恩在朝鲜劳动党七大报告中提出“要在党的全盘工作中切实体现人民群众第一主义”，“体现人民群众第一主义，是为人民群众而斗争、依靠人民群众进行活动的我们党的本质要求”。七大以来，“人民群众第一主义”逐渐上升为朝鲜劳动党的政治方式和理念。朝鲜劳动党八大通过决议书《关于修改朝鲜劳动党章程》，把“人民群众第一主义政治正式规定为社会主义基本政治方式”，取代了过去“先军政治”的相关内容。八大将“人民群众第一主义”正式写入党章，标志着新时期朝鲜社会主义基本政治方式的确立，也标志着金正恩执政十年的人民观基本形成。朝鲜官媒评价金正恩的人民观是对朝鲜前两代领导人金日成的以民为天思想和金正日的仁德政治的继承与发展，“是在最崇高境界上出色地体现金日成同志和金正日同志的以民为天思想和仁德政治的金正恩同志的人民群众第一主义政治”。

(2) Judgments on the International Situation and the Current Era in Which North Korea Finds Itself

（二）对国际局势和当前朝鲜所处时代的判断

“Problems are the aphorisms of the era, the most actual voice expressing the inner state of the era itself.” Scientifically judging the international situation and the era in which one finds oneself is the foundation for socialist parties to formulate lines, policies, and strategies in revolution and construction. Against the profound backdrop of changes unseen in a century in the world, Kim Jong-un has also made new judgments on the international landscape and formed a new view of the era.

“问题是时代的格言，是表现时代自己内心状态的最实际的呼声。”科学判断国际局势和自身所处时代是社会主义政党在革命和建设中制定路线、方针、政策的基础。在世界百年大变局的深刻背景下，金正恩对国际格局也有了新的判断，并形成了新的时代观。

At the Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un pointed out that the characteristics of the international situation are the deepening of disputes and confrontations among major powers, and the profound opposition and struggle between the world’s progressive people and imperialist reactionary forces, with the main cause being that “U.S. imperialism is the disturber and destroyer of world peace and security.” North Korea made further analyses and judgments on the international situation and surrounding environment following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2021, Kim Jong-un delivered a policy speech titled “On the Current Direction of Struggle for New Development in Socialist Construction,” clearly stating that the current fundamental danger in the world is “the United States’ unilateral and unjust formation of cliques and small-circle diplomacy,” that the main characteristic of changes in the current international situation is that the world pattern is transforming into a more complex “new Cold War” pattern, and that North Korea is facing “an increasingly unstable international political situation and surrounding environment.” It can be seen that Kim Jong-un’s judgment on the current international landscape is that the United States, in order to maintain its hegemonic rule, is causing changes in the world situation and the environment on the Korean Peninsula, that a “new Cold War” pattern is taking shape across the entire world and in Northeast Asia, and that North Korea must make active responses militarily and diplomatically.

在朝鲜劳动党七大上，金正恩指出，国际形势的特点是大国之间纠纷和对立更加深化，世界进步人民和帝国主义反动势力也正在进行深刻的对立和斗争，主因则是“美帝国主义是世界和平与安全的扰乱者、破坏者”。朝鲜针对新冠肺炎疫情爆发后的国际形势和周边环境作了进一步分析判断。2021年9月，金正恩发表题为《关于争取社会主义建设新发展的当前斗争方向》的施政演说，明确提出当前世界根本性危险是“美国单方面而不公正的拉帮结伙、搞小圈子外交”，当前国际形势变化的主要特征是世界格局变为更加错综复杂的“新冷战”格局，朝鲜正面临“日趋不安的国际政治形势和周边环境”。由此可见，金正恩对当前国际格局的判断是美国为维系其霸权统治使世界局势和半岛环境发生变化，“新冷战”格局正在整个世界和东北亚地区形成，朝鲜必须从军事和外交上作出积极回应。

The Workers’ Party of Korea, represented by Kim Jong-un, adheres to the Marxist view of the era, believing that from the perspective of the great historical era of the world, human society is still in the stage of transition from capitalism to socialism. Although the world has witnessed the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and capitalist exploitation under the new technological era is more concealed than in the era of mechanical industry, it has also deepened the structural problems of the anti-people socioeconomic system, leading to accelerated wealth disparity and polarization. Therefore, moving toward socialism is an inevitable outcome of human historical development. At the same time, regarding the current stage of development in which North Korea finds itself, the so-called “small era,” Kim Jong-un has also formed a new view of the era. In his report to the Eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, he relatively objectively analyzed the internal and external situation facing North Korea and clearly stated that North Korea has opened a new era of development, namely “the era of our state first principle,” and pointed out that this new era “is a new era of self-reliant prosperity born as a result of the Workers’ Party of Korea resolutely confronting all historical challenges, concentrating and exerting all efforts for the people, resolutely strengthening its own strength, raising national dignity and status, and waging a life-and-death struggle.” The proposal of this new era has dual implications, both internal and external. Internally, it adheres to the people-first principle as the basic political mode. Under conditions where sanctions, the pandemic, and natural disasters—three major adverse factors—have led to unprecedented difficulties in domestic economic development and people’s livelihood security, it emphasizes the governing ideologies of “people as heaven,” “unity and solidarity,” and “self-reliance,” striving to rely on its own strength and resources to develop the domestic economy, improve people’s livelihoods, and build North Korean-style socialism characterized by self-reliant prosperity. Externally, in response to a series of new changes in the current international landscape and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, it adopts the “our state first principle” as its ideology and an independent posture to guide the value orientation of diplomacy and security policy, using active diplomatic policies and tough security policies to safeguard the country’s core interests. Making the political judgment of entering “the era of our state first principle” clarifies the historical position of North Korea’s socialist development and represents Kim Jong-un’s new thinking and new decisions in response to the era’s problems and practical challenges currently facing North Korea.

以金正恩为代表的朝鲜劳动党人坚持马克思主义时代观，认为从世界的大历史时代来看，人类社会仍处于资本主义向社会主义过渡的阶段。尽管世界兴起了第四次产业革命，新技术时代下资本主义剥削比机械产业时代更为隐蔽，但也深化了反人民的社会经济制度的结构性问题，导致贫富差距、两极分化加速，因此走向社会主义是人类历史发展的必然。同时，就朝鲜目前所处的发展阶段即所谓的“小时代”，金正恩亦形成了新的时代观，他在朝鲜劳动党八大报告中比较客观地分析了朝鲜面临的内外形势，明确提出朝鲜开启了新的发展时代，即“我国第一主义时代”，并且指出新的时代“是由朝鲜劳动党迎头痛击历史的一切挑战，为人民专心一意、全力以赴，坚决强化自身力量，提高国家尊严和地位，进行殊死斗争的结果诞生的自存繁荣的新时代”。这个新时代的提出，存在对内对外双重含义。对内将坚持人民群众第一主义作为基本政治方式，在制裁、疫情与自然灾害三大不利因素导致国内经济发展、民生保障遭遇前所未有的巨大困难条件下，强调“以民为天”、“团结一心”、“自力更生”执政理念，努力依靠自身力量和资源发展国内经济、改善民生，建设以自存繁荣为特色的朝鲜式社会主义；对外则根据当前国际格局及朝鲜半岛局势发生的一系列新变化，以“我国第一主义”为理念、以独立自主的姿态主导外交和安全政策的价值取向，以积极的外交政策和强硬的安全政策保障国家核心利益。作出进入“我国第一主义时代”这一政治判断，明确了朝鲜社会主义发展所处的历史方位，是金正恩为回应当前朝鲜面临的时代问题和现实挑战而做出的新思考、新决断。

(3) On the Nature of the North Korean-Style Socialist Economy

（三）关于朝鲜式社会主义经济的性质

North Korea has long adhered to a planned economy, for reasons both historical and related to the international environment it faces. After Kim Jong-un came to power, in order to break out of the predicament of economic development, the Workers’ Party of Korea further explored how to handle the relationship between planning and the market. In 2013, the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea formally proposed the “parallel line of economic construction and nuclear weapons construction,” gradually initiating adjustments and reforms to the economic model, and implementing a series of policies to stimulate economic development, including the “socialist enterprise responsible management system” and the “Pujeon responsibility system.” [10]10 The “Pujeon responsibility system” (also known as the “field responsibility system”) is a North Korean agricultural management reform introduced in the early 2010s that allowed farm work teams to retain a portion of their output above a state-set quota, similar in principle to China’s early rural reforms. With moderate adjustments and reforms, the Party and government of North Korea granted a certain degree of freedom to business entities, and the degree of marketization increased. During this period, North Korea’s planning system and the market exhibited a clear symbiotic relationship. In his summary report to the Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un also reaffirmed that “the socialist enterprise responsible management system must be correctly implemented,” stating that enterprise production units, in accordance with the requirements of the socialist enterprise responsible management system, can proactively and creatively conduct enterprise activities, achieve normalization of production, and expand and develop it. He also emphasized that “the state must fully guarantee the conditions for enterprises to flexibly exercise the management rights granted to them.” This was, in effect, an affirmation of the market-oriented exploration and practice of the preceding years.

朝鲜长期坚持计划经济，这既有历史的原因，也是因为其所处的国际环境。金正恩执政后，为破解经济发展的困局，朝鲜劳动党进一步探索了如何处理计划与市场的关系问题。2013年，朝鲜劳动党中央委员会正式提出“经济建设与核武建设并进路线”，逐渐开启对经济模式的调整和改革，推行包括“社会主义企业负责管理制”、“莆田担当制”等一系列刺激经济发展的政策。随着适度的调整和改革，朝鲜党和政府对于经营主体给予了一定的自由权，市场化程度提高，这一时期朝鲜的计划体制与市场是明显的共生关系。金正恩在朝鲜劳动党七大的总结报告中也再次明确了“要正确实施社会主义企业负责管理制”，企业生产单位根据社会主义企业负责管理制的要求，可以主动地、创造性地进行企业活动，实现生产正常化，并加以扩大和发展。他还强调“国家要充分保障企业能够灵活地运用被赋予的经营权的条件”。实际上是对过去几年进行市场化探索实践的肯定。

Marketization played a role in enriching material life and improving the people’s living standards, but it also impacted North Korea’s planning system and state macro-management. Different companies and factories affiliated with Party, government, and military departments each acted on their own, causing a certain degree of chaos in production and import-export trade, which led to the failure to achieve the economic development plan set by the Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Kim Jong-un warned that if this situation continued, “the state’s economic power and regulatory capacity would gradually disappear, ultimately leading to the evil consequence of state-owned enterprises making money illegally.” The COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the international situation posed new challenges to North Korea’s economic development. Therefore, the Workers’ Party of Korea had to provide a theoretical basis and direction for the new five-year national economic development strategy and revise past lines. The Eighth Congress summarized and reflected on the lessons of past economic construction, clearly defining the nature of the Korean-style socialist economy as a “self-reliant economy, a planned economy, and an economy serving the people,” taking the priority of the people’s interests and demands as the fundamental direction for improving economic management, requiring the establishment of a cabinet responsibility system and a cabinet-centered system in national economic work, strengthening the state’s function as an economic organizer, rectifying the previously unreasonable economic work system and order, and achieving unified guidance over economic work and unified management over production products. In his report to the Eighth Congress, Kim Jong-un also stipulated the socialist nature of state-run commerce, stating that commercial services should “restore the state’s leading role and adjust regulatory and control capabilities.” These statements no longer mentioned terms previously used, such as “socialist enterprise management methods” and “stimulating production enthusiasm,” but instead placed greater emphasis on planning and unified state leadership. The clear definition of the nature of the Korean-style socialist economy at the Eighth Congress is a theoretical achievement derived from the practice of exploring economic reforms over the ten years of Kim Jong-un’s rule, reflecting the current Workers’ Party of Korea’s view on the basic theoretical question of “what is socialism and how to build socialism.”

市场化对于丰富物质生活、提高和改善人民生活水平起到了促进作用，但也对朝鲜的计划体制和国家宏观管理造成了冲击，隶属党政军部门的不同会社和工厂各行其是，使生产和进出口贸易出现了一定程度的混乱，导致朝鲜劳动党七大制定的经济发展计划没有实现。金正恩警告称，如果这种状况持续下去，“国家经济权和管制力就会逐渐消失，最终导致国营企业违法挣钱恶果”。新冠肺炎疫情和国际局势的变化使朝鲜的经济发展面临新的挑战。因此，朝鲜劳动党必须对新的国家经济发展五年战略提供理论基础和方向，对过去的路线进行修正。八大总结反思了过去经济建设的教训，明确朝鲜式社会主义经济的性质是“自立经济、计划经济，是为人民服务的经济”，以优先重视人民的利益和要求作为改善经济管理的根本方向，要求在国家经济工作中确立内阁责任制、内阁中心制，增强国家作为经济组织者的职能，整饬过去不合理的经济工作体系和秩序，实现对经济工作的统一指导以及对生产产品的统一管理。金正恩在八大报告中还对国营商业的社会主义性质作了规定，指出商业服务要“恢复国家的主导作用和调整管控能力”。这些论述不再提及过去提出的“社会主义企业管理方法”、“激励生产积极性”等用语，而更加强调计划和国家统一领导。八大对朝鲜式社会主义经济性质的明确规定，是金正恩执政十年以来探索经济改革的实践中得出的理论成果，体现了现阶段朝鲜劳动党对于“什么是社会主义、如何建设社会主义”这个基本理论问题的看法。

(4) On the Status of Science and Technology in North Korea’s Socialist Construction

（四）关于科学技术在朝鲜社会主义建设中的地位

The Workers’ Party of Korea attaches importance to the development of science and technology, and North Korea’s national conditions and the practice of socialist construction also require that North Korea must place science and technology in an important position. The Seventh Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea proposed the line of “building a powerful nation in science and technology.” The report of the Eighth Congress defined the development of science and technology as “an important task and the best strategy in socialist construction,” emphasizing that “we must actively solve the urgent scientific and technological problems in implementing the new five-year national economic development plan, and promote the development of advanced core cutting-edge technology projects,” and that “we must correctly establish a Party, state, and administrative guidance and management system for developing science and technology, share scientific research achievements, and vigorously advance the work of making the entire people scientific and technological talents.” In his concluding remarks at the Eighth Congress, Kim Jong-un further discussed the status of science and technology in socialist construction. He pointed out that “science and technology are the locomotive pulling socialist construction and the main driving force for the development of the national economy,” and proposed that “the actual development of science and technology should be used to ensure economic construction and the improvement of people’s livelihoods.” The *Rodong Sinmun*, [11]11 *Rodong Sinmun* (Worker’s Newspaper) is the official daily newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. as the Party’s mouthpiece, also published multiple articles emphasizing the status of science and technology in North Korea’s socialist construction, stressing that “the competition for national power between countries is a competition in science and technology, and social and economic development, the fate of the country and the nation, and its future all depend on who can obtain more and faster high-tech achievements,” and that “science and technology are our primary strength and main strategic resource,” calling on all departments and units to “use the power of science and technology to set off a great upsurge in socialist construction.”

朝鲜劳动党重视科学技术发展，朝鲜的国情和社会主义建设实践也要求朝鲜必须将科学技术摆在重要的位置。劳动党七大提出了“科学技术强国建设”路线，八大报告将科技发展规定为“社会主义建设中的重要任务、最佳策略”，强调“要积极解决执行新的国家经济发展五年计划中紧要的科技问题，促进先进的核心尖端技术开发项目”，“要正确建立发展科技的党、国家和行政指导及管理体系，共享科研成就，并蓬勃推进实现全民科学技术人才化工作”。金正恩在八大所作的结论中进一步论述了科学技术在社会主义建设中的地位。他指出，“科学技术是牵引社会主义建设的火车头，也是国民经济的主要发展动力”，提出“要以科学技术的实际发展确保经济建设和民生改善”。作为党的喉舌的《劳动新闻》也多次发表文章强调科学技术在朝鲜社会主义建设中的地位，强调“国家之间的国力竞争是科技竞争，社会经济发展、国家和民族的命运及其前途都取决于谁能更多更快地取得高新科技成果”，“科学技术是我们的第一力量、主要的战略资源”，号召各部门单位“以科学技术威力掀起社会主义建设大高潮”。

03. New Achievements in North Korea’s Socialist Practice since Kim Jong-un Came to Power

03.金正恩执政以来朝鲜社会主义实践的新成就

(1) Strengthening the Party’s Governing Capacity and the Building of the Cadre Contingent

（一）加强党的执政能力和干部队伍建设

At the beginning of his rule, Kim Jong-un began to establish the Party’s sole leadership system, requiring the strengthening of the Party’s leadership over all work and sorting out the relationships between the Party, government, and military. Under the changes unseen in a century, the complex internal and external environment facing North Korea also requires the Workers’ Party of Korea, on the basis of persisting in establishing and consolidating the Party’s sole leadership system, to adopt various measures to further strengthen its own governing capacity and the building of the cadre contingent.

金正恩执政之初便开始着手确立党的唯一领导体系，要求加强党对一切工作的领导，梳理党政军之间的关系。在百年未有之大变局下，朝鲜面临复杂的内外环境也要求朝鲜劳动党在坚持确立和巩固党的唯一领导体系基础上，采取多方面措施进一步加强自身的执政能力和干部队伍建设。

First, strengthening the construction of the Party cadre and member contingent. After taking over, Kim Jong-un largely continued to use the cadre contingent from the Kim Jong-il era, but his personal exercise of power and governance encountered multiple constraints. At the same time, problems such as bureaucratism, corruption, and lax Party discipline were discovered within the cadre contingent. Therefore, reforming the cadre contingent and strengthening the Party’s governing capacity were the primary tasks facing Kim Jong-un. From the outset of his administration, Kim Jong-un proposed further establishing the Party’s monolithic leadership system, and through the restructuring of the high-level power structure, the Party-state institutional system of North Korea was continuously strengthened. According to statistics from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, in just the two years from 2012 to 2013, the replacement rate of high-ranking Party, government, and military officials in North Korea reached 44%. At the 7th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in 2016, Kim Jong-un formally proposed “further deepening the work of establishing the Party’s monolithic leadership system,” and made “realizing the monolithic ideologicalization of the entire Party with Kim Il-sung-Kim Jong-ilism” the core of establishing the Party’s monolithic leadership system. He put forward a series of measures to strengthen governing capacity, including establishing strict discipline and order for the entire Party to act in unison under the sole leadership of the Party Central Committee, and strengthening Party building work. During this period, marked by frequent adjustments to the cadre contingent on the basis of the basic lineup for generational replacement and adjustments to the organizational structure of the Party Central Committee, an increasing number of vigorous and capable cadres entered the Central Committee and the Political Bureau. In 2018, during his first visit to China, Kim Jong-un explicitly stated: “Currently, our Party is also intensifying its efforts to combat acts of throwing one’s weight around, engaging in bureaucracy, and practicing corruption.” In his report to the 8th Congress, Kim Jong-un proposed continuing to firmly grasp and deepen the work of the Party’s monolithic leadership system, making “absolutely guaranteeing and upholding the prestige of the Party Central Committee” and strengthening the Party’s “single-minded unity” key tasks for the entire Party, and demanding “transforming the Party’s work into work that is pro-people and pro-reality.” Since the 8th Congress, the Workers’ Party of Korea has made Party building work its focus, taking concrete action in ideology, organization, and practice. In ideology, the core is establishing the Party’s monolithic leadership system and achieving ideological unity with the entire Party united as one. In organization, in response to the needs of situational development and the shortcomings in Party building work, multiple timely adjustments have been made to the Party Central Committee’s institutions, strengthening the responsibilities and powers of relevant departments such as the Organization Guidance Department, the Central Inspection Committee, the Military Guidance Department, the Cadre Department, and the Discipline Investigation Department in terms of institutional setup and personnel arrangements. In practice, in the nearly two years since the 8th Congress, multi-level lectures and specialized conferences have been held continuously, from city and county Party committees to grassroots Party committees, from organizational departments to propaganda departments, from local levels to the military, providing extensive education and training for the Party cadre and member contingent. Over the past ten years, the Workers’ Party of Korea has also carried out work to “streamline and sharpen” the administrative cadre contingent and the Party contingent. The tasks of Party organizations at all levels, from the Party Central Committee to grassroots Party committees and Party branches, have become clearer, and the work of establishing an orderly work system and stricter discipline and rules throughout the Party has been further deepened. The 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea also reorganized the affiliated institutions of the Party Central Committee, newly establishing the Party Central Committee’s Legal Affairs Department and reorganizing the Central Inspection Committee, further strengthening disciplinary management.

首先，加强党员干部队伍建设。金正恩接班后基本延续使用金正日时代的干部队伍，其个人执政施政遭到多方掣肘，同时也在工作中发现干部队伍中存在官僚主义、贪污腐化、党纪松弛等诸多问题，因此，改造干部队伍、加强党的执政能力是摆在金正恩面前的首要任务。金正恩主政伊始便提出进一步树立党的唯一领导体系，通过对高层权力结构的重组，使朝鲜党——国家机构体系得到不断强化。据韩国国情院统计，仅从2012至2013年近两年内，朝鲜党政军高层官员替换率就达44%。2016年朝鲜劳动党七大，金正恩正式提出“进一步深入进行确立党的唯一领导体系的工作”，并将“用金日成金正日主义实现全党一色化”作为确立党的唯一领导体系的核心，提出建立全党在党中央唯一领导下一致行动的严格纪律和秩序、加强党建工作等一系列加强执政能力建设的措施。这一阶段，以在新老交替基本班底的基础上频繁调整干部队伍、对党中央组织结构进行调整为标志，越来越多的年富力强的干部进入中央委员会和政治局。2018年，金正恩首次访问中国时曾明确表示：“当前，我们党也在加大力度，同逞威风、耍官僚、搞腐败的行为作斗争。”金正恩在八大报告中提出继续狠抓并深化党的唯一领导体系工作，将“绝对保证并拥护党中央威望”、加强党内 “一心团结”等党建党纪工作作为全党的重要任务，要求“把党的工作转换为亲人民性、亲现实性的工作”。八大以来，朝鲜劳动党将党建工作成为工作重心，从思想上、组织上、行动上真抓实干。思想上，以确立党的唯一领导体系、全党上下团结一心的思想统一为核心；组织上，根据形势发展需要和党建工作中存在的弊端，对党中央机构进行多次适时调整，从机构设置、人事安排上强化组织指导部、中央检查委员会、军政指导部、干部部、纪律调查部等相关部门的职责职权；行动上，八大之后的近两年间连续举办从市郡党委到基层党委、从组织部门到宣传部门、从地方到军队的多层级讲习会、专门大会等，对党员干部队伍进行广泛的教育培训。十年来，朝鲜党还进行行政干部队伍和党的队伍的“精简化、精锐化”工作，从党中央委员会到基层党委及党支部的各级党组织的任务更加明确，在全党树立井然有序的工作体系和更加严格纲纪的工作进一步得到深化。朝鲜劳动党八大还重组了党中央委员会附属机构，新设立党中央法务部、改组党中央检查委员会，进一步加强纪律管理。

Second, promoting the institutionalization and standardization of the Party’s operational mechanisms. The National Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea is the highest authority of the Party. Before the 7th Congress was held in 2016, North Korea had not held a Party National Congress for 36 years, and the Party’s representative mechanism had not operated normally. Since taking power, Kim Jong-un has convened multiple plenary sessions of the Central Committee and Political Bureau meetings to discuss various decisions, and has emphasized the importance of regularly convening various Party meetings. The 8th Congress amended the Party Constitution, stipulating that “a Party Congress shall be convened once every five years,” thus fixing the mechanism for convening the Party National Congress in the form of the Party Constitution.

其次，推进党的运行机制制度化、规范化。朝鲜劳动党全国代表大会是党的最高权力机关，在2016年七大召开前，朝鲜已36年没有召开党的全国代表大会，党的代表机制未能正常运行。金正恩执政以来，多次召开中央全体会议、政治局会议商讨各项决策，并强调定期召开党的各项会议的重要性。八大修改党章，规定“5年一次召开党代表大会”，将党的全国代表大会召开机制用党章的形式固定下来。

The system of democratic centralism for intra-Party decision-making has also gradually taken shape. During the 8th Congress, sectoral consultative meetings “studied the draft resolution on implementing the tasks set forth in the work report of the Party Central Committee,” and earnestly discussed “the practical issues of the five-year struggle tasks and goals to be accomplished in each field of socialist construction to strive for a new forward development of the Korean revolution.” The Korean Central News Agency commented on the consultative meetings, stating that “the sectoral consultative meetings were always conducted in a serious and businesslike atmosphere, and through full research and active collective discussion, scientific and innovative proposals that provide a firm guarantee for implementing the resolutions of the Party Congress were integrated.” Kim Jong-un affirmed the enthusiasm of Party delegates in discussing issues during the Congress, saying, “Throughout the entire period of the Congress, all comrade delegates, with the most active Party spirit and sense of responsibility, honestly addressed the issues under discussion, actively put forward constructive opinions, reached consensus, and fully demonstrated the fighting appearance of our Party as a pragmatic Party, a fighting Party, and a forward-moving Party.”

党内决策的民主集中制度也逐渐形成。八大召开期间，各部门协议会就“贯彻落实党中央委员会工作总结报告所提任务的决议草案进行了研究”，认真讨论了为争取朝鲜革命“新的前进发展，社会主义建设各领域要完成的今后五年斗争目标和任务的实践性问题”。朝中社评价协议会指出，“各部门协议会始终在认真而事务性的气氛中进行，经过充分的研究和积极的集体讨论，整合了为贯彻落实党代表大会决议提供坚定保证的科学性的创新建议”。金正恩对于党员代表在大会中讨论的积极性予以肯定，他说，“在大会的整个期间，全体代表同志心怀最为积极的党性觉悟和责任感，诚实地对待讨论问题，积极提出建设性意见，达成共识，充分显示我们党作为务实的政党、斗争的政党、前进的政党的战斗面貌”。

(2) Emphasizing economic development and raising the people’s living standards

（二）重视经济发展，提高人民生活水平

During the Kim Jong-il era, in order to maintain institutional security and ensure regime stability, North Korea’s economic development was always constrained by “military-first politics,” with resources disproportionately allocated to the military sector, leading to stagnation in the national economy. The economic legacy left to Kim Jong-un was a rapidly declining economy on the verge of crisis. Therefore, during the ten years of Kim Jong-un’s rule, North Korea has consistently made developing the economy and raising the people’s living standards an important part of its strategic line. At the 2013 plenary session of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the “parallel line” was proposed as a new strategy for Kim Jong-un’s rule, placing economic construction and nuclear/missile development on an equal footing. At the beginning of 2018, the 3rd Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea declared the historical completion of the “parallel line” and proposed a strategic line of “concentrating all forces on economic construction,” shifting the Party’s work focus to economic development. The 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in 2021 once again emphasized achieving sustainable economic development and improving the people’s living standards. To develop the economy, North Korea has adopted a series of measures, achieving considerable results, and the people’s living standards and welfare have improved.

在金正日时代，为维护制度安全和保障政权稳定，朝鲜的经济发展一直受制于“先军政治”，资源多向军队部门倾斜，导致国民经济发展停滞，留给金正恩的经济遗产便是急速下滑且处于危机前兆的经济。因此，金正恩执政的十年间，朝鲜一直将发展经济、提高人民生活水平作为战略路线的重要内容。2013年朝鲜劳动党中央委员会全体会议上提出“并举路线”作为金正恩执政的新战略，将经济建设与核导开发放在相同的位置；2018年初朝鲜劳动党七届三中全会宣布“并举路线”的历史任务完成，提出了“集中一切力量进行经济建设”的战略路线，将党的工作重心转移到经济建设上来。2021年朝鲜劳动党八大再次强调要实现经济可持续发展和改善人民生活水平。为发展经济，朝鲜采取了一系列措施，取得了不少成果，人民生活水平和福祉得到提高。

First, exploring adjustments to economic management methods to promote economic development pragmatically and flexibly. To escape the predicament of economic development, the North Korean Party and government, under Kim Jong-un’s leadership, adopted a series of measures to initiate adjustments and transformation of the economic model. These measures mainly include: (1) implementing a cabinet-centered system, with economic work managed comprehensively by the cabinet; (2) reforming the enterprise management system, proposing a “socialist enterprise responsibility management system,” promoting the implementation of the “factory director responsibility system” and distribution according to work, increasing enterprise autonomy and worker initiative; (3) implementing the “field responsibility system” in rural areas, allowing farmers to dispose of surplus grain on their own after paying public grain according to the set proportion; (4) flexibly utilizing the market, granting a certain degree of private rights. In 2016, the newly revised and supplemented Constitution of North Korea stipulated that “the state protects social group and cooperative ownership. … Items belonging to individual citizens and intended for personal consumption are owned by individuals.” Through these adjustment measures, the vitality and growth rate of the North Korean economy have significantly improved. On the one hand, the scale of the commodity market has expanded rapidly, and industries such as domestic tourism, taxis, entertainment centers, and e-commerce have emerged, gradually meeting the diverse needs of the North Korean people. On the other hand, the speed of economic development has increased. According to data from the Bank of Korea, from the beginning of Kim Jong-un’s rule until 2017, before North Korea was subject to four rounds of UN sanctions resolutions, North Korea’s average annual economic growth rate was 1.2%, exceeding the economic growth level from 1994 to 2011.

首先，探索经济管理方式的调整，务实灵活推动经济发展。为摆脱经济发展的困境，朝鲜党和政府在金正恩的带领下采取一系列措施开启对经济模式的调整与转型。这些措施主要包括：（1）实施内阁中心制，经济工作由内阁统筹管理；（2）进行企业管理制度改革，提出“社会主义企业责任管理制”，推动落实“厂长负责制”和按劳分配，增加企业自主权与劳动者积极性；（3）在农村推行“莆田担当制”，农民按照比例缴纳公粮后可以自行支配剩余的粮食；（4）灵活利用市场，在一定程度上让渡私营权，2016年朝鲜修改补充的新宪法规定，“国家保护社会团体与合作社所有制。……属于公民个人的、以个人消费为目的的物品归个人所有”。通过这些调整措施，朝鲜经济的活跃度和发展速度得到了显著提升。一方面，商品市场规模迅速扩大，境内旅游、出租车、娱乐中心、电子商务等产业兴起，逐渐满足朝鲜人民的多样化需求；另一方面，经济发展速度提升，据韩国央行的数据显示，金正恩执政以来至2017年朝鲜受到联合国四项制裁决议前，朝鲜的年均经济增长率为1.2%，超过1994年至2011年的经济增长水平。

Second, expanding foreign economic and trade exchanges and diversifying foreign exchange earning methods. After taking power, Kim Jong-un continued to expand North Korea’s foreign trade while actively introducing foreign technology and capital. On June 18, 2014, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea issued a decree announcing the merger of the Ministry of Trade, the Joint Venture and Investment Commission responsible for attracting foreign investment, and the State Economic Development Commission in charge of economic zone development work into the Ministry of External Economic Relations. In July 2014, North Korea announced the establishment of 13 economic development zones and formulated the Economic Development Zone Law. These institutional reforms and the gradual improvement of laws have, to a certain extent, laid the foundation for North Korea to attract foreign capital and technology.

其次，拓展对外经贸往来，丰富创汇手段。金正恩执政后，朝鲜继续扩大对外贸易，同时积极引进国外技术与资金。2014年6月18日，朝鲜最高人民会议常任委员会发布政令，宣布将贸易省、专管吸引外资的合营投资委员会以及主管经济特区开发工作的国家经济开发委员会合并为对外经济省；2014年7月朝鲜宣布建立13个经济开发区，并制定了经济开发区法。机构改革以及法律的逐步完善，在一定程度上为朝鲜吸引国外的资金技术打下了基础。

North Korea’s main export products are anthracite, mineral products, seafood, and the like, while it also earns foreign exchange through processing trade of wigs, clothing, embroidery, and the export of labor. After North Korea’s sixth nuclear test in 2017, UN sanctions dealt a heavy blow to its main export products and labor export, causing a sharp decline in North Korea–China trade volume, inflicting especially great losses on North Korea’s exports, and leading to a significant change in the structure of North Korea–China trade. To diversify its means of earning foreign exchange, the North Korean government has vigorously developed tourism and related industries, adopting a series of measures such as establishing the Wonsan–Mount Kumgang tourism special zone, renovating Pyongyang’s tourist hotels, developing theme tourism, and setting up a vocational tourism university to attract foreign tourists. The burgeoning tourism industry has become a pillar industry for North Korea under the sanctions regime.

朝鲜对外出口主要产品为无烟煤、矿产品、海鲜等，同时依靠假发、服装、刺绣来料加工以及出口劳动力等方式获取外汇。2017年朝鲜第六次核试验后，联合国实施制裁，使得朝鲜主要的出口产品及劳动力输出遭到重创，朝中贸易额大幅下降，尤其是对朝鲜的出口造成了巨大损失，并且导致朝中贸易结构发生较大改变。为丰富创汇手段，朝鲜政府大力发展旅游业及相关产业，采取了诸如建立元山—金刚山旅游特区、修缮平壤旅游酒店、开发主题旅游、建立职业性的观光大学等一系列措施吸引国外游客。兴起的旅游业成为朝鲜在制裁背景下的支柱产业。

Third, adhere to self-reliance and raise the level of localization. The Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) has always regarded independence and self-reliance as one of its basic programs. Kim Jong Il once pointed out, “Independence is the essential requirement of human beings and the life of the nation and the state.” After taking power, Kim Jong Un also led the WPK to continue holding high the banner of independence and self-reliance. To shake off external dependence, respond to ongoing sanctions, and raise the level of localization, Kim Jong Un has repeatedly inspected relevant factories and shops and put forward requirements for related industries. When inspecting the Chondongnyol Machinery Plant, Kim Jong Un even personally test-flew a light aircraft developed independently by North Korea, demonstrating his trust in the domestic industry. Under the Party’s call, North Korea has come to regard localization as “a major political work directly related to the dignity of the nation and the state” and “an inevitable requirement for completing the construction of a socialist power ahead of schedule through self-reliance and self-dependence.” Therefore, the ten years of Kim Jong Un’s rule have been a decade in which North Korea’s level of localization has steadily improved: factories producing livelihood products have been put into operation one after another, domestic brands have gradually replaced some foreign goods, and the localization level of light industry, industrial sectors, and so forth has risen markedly. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 required North Korea to further raise the degree of independence and self-reliance. Hence, at the Eighth Congress of the WPK, Kim Jong Un proposed taking independence and self-reliance as the theme of the new five-year economic plan, emphasizing the need to elevate self-reliance to a new and higher level, calling it “state-level self-reliance, planned self-reliance, and scientific self-reliance.”

再次，坚持自力更生，提高国产化水平。朝鲜劳动党一直将自主和自力更生作为党的基本纲领之一。金正日曾指出，“自主性是人的本质要求，是国家和民族的生命”。金正恩执政后也带领朝鲜劳动党继续高举自主和自力更生的旗帜。为摆脱对外依赖，应对持续的制裁，提高国产化水平，金正恩多次视察相关工厂、商店，并对相关产业提出了要求。金正恩在视察全东烈机械厂时还亲自试飞了朝鲜自主研发的轻型飞机，显示对国产工业的信任。在党的号召下，朝鲜已将国产化视为“直接关乎国家和民族尊严的重大政治工作”、“靠自立自力提前完成社会主义强国建设的必然要求”。因此，金正恩执政的十年，是朝鲜国产化水平日益提高的十年，涉及民生产品的工厂陆续投产，国产品牌已逐渐取代一些国外商品，轻工业、工业部门等国产化水平显著提高。2020年新冠肺炎疫情的爆发要求朝鲜进一步提高自主与自力更生的程度。因此，金正恩在朝鲜劳动党八大提出以自主与自力更生作为新的五年经济计划的主题，强调要将自力更生提升到新的更高的水平，是“国家性的自力更生、有计划的自力更生、科学的自力更生”。

Finally, attach importance to urban and rural construction and enhance the people’s well-being. After Kim Jong Un took power, the North Korean government invested substantial material and human resources to vigorously promote urban and rural construction in order to improve people’s livelihoods. Since 2012, Pyongyang has successively built Changjon Street, Future Scientists Street, and Dawn Street. These three streets have provided new-style residential buildings for Pyongyang citizens and have also become landmark structures in the city. Pyongyang has also built a series of facilities such as the Munsu Water Park, Ryugyong Restaurant (formerly known as the Begonia Flower Restaurant), Mirim Riding Club, and Ryugyong Dental Hospital to enrich and improve citizens’ lives and enhance their well-being. In addition, the WPK has attached importance to urban and rural construction in other regions. During Kim Jong Un’s rule, the WPK vigorously promoted the construction of Samjiyon County, establishing it as “an outstanding example of a mountain civilized city and an ideal model for local cities.” In 2020, many towns and rural areas in North Korea suffered flood damage. The WPK mobilized the whole country’s strength to rebuild the affected cities and villages, demanding that the post-disaster areas be turned into “people’s ideal villages and fairyland villages.”

最后，重视城乡建设，增进人民福祉。金正恩执政后，朝鲜政府投入大量物力人力，大力推进城乡建设以改善民生。2012年以来，平壤市区陆续建成苍田大街、未来科学家大街、黎明大街，这三条大街为平壤市民提供了新式的住宅楼，同时也成为了平壤市的地标性建筑。平壤市还新建了纹绣戏水场、柳京馆（原名海棠花馆）、美林骑马俱乐部、柳京牙科医院等一些列设施丰富和改善市民生活，提高人民福祉。此外，朝鲜劳动党还重视其他地区的城乡建设。金正恩执政期间，朝鲜劳动党大力推进三池渊郡的建设，将其树立为“山区文明城市的出色榜样、地方城市理想的样板”。2020年朝鲜多地城镇遭受洪涝灾害，朝鲜劳动党动员全国力量重建受灾的城市农村，并要求重建的灾后地区变成“人民的理想村和仙境村”。

(3) Intensify the struggle in the ideological sphere and unify the thinking of the whole society

（三）强化意识形态领域斗争，统一全社会思想

Since the founding of socialist North Korea, the WPK representatives represented by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il have attached importance to work in the ideological sphere. Especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when socialist countries in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe successively underwent drastic changes, an important reason was that the Western capitalist camp led by the United States implemented a “peaceful evolution” strategy against socialist countries. Through cultural export and ideological infiltration, it caused the collapse of ideology in the Soviet Union and other countries, and the socialist system was overthrown—“all this happened without the West firing a single shot.” Therefore, both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il attached great importance to the struggle in the ideological sphere, believing that “non-socialist phenomena are dangerous factors that corrode and disintegrate socialist society from within” and that people contaminated by non-socialist elements would eventually become “counterrevolutionaries opposing the Party and the socialist system.” However, in the past, the struggle in the ideological sphere in North Korea did not form a systematic front. After Kim Jong Un took power, in order to realize the transition from “military-first” to “Party-first,” concentrate efforts on economic development, maintain national stability, and respond to the infiltration and attacks of Western ideology, he further escalated the intensity of the struggle in the ideological sphere, gradually forming a systematic front to unify the thinking of the whole society. It can be said that the struggle in the ideological sphere has basically run through the ten years of Kim Jong Un’s rule.

自社会主义朝鲜建国以来，以金日成和金正日为代表的朝鲜劳动党人便重视意识形态领域的工作。尤其是20世纪80年代末90年代初，苏联东欧等社会主义国家陆续发生剧变，其中重要的原因便是以美国为首的西方资本主义阵营对社会主义国家实行“和平演变”战略，通过文化输出和意识形态渗透导致苏联等国家意识形态崩溃，社会主义制度被颠覆，“这些都是在西方未放一枪的情况下发生的”。因此，金日成和金正日均高度重视在意识形态领域的斗争，认为“非社会主义现象是从内部蠹蚀和瓦解社会主义社会的危险因素”，沾染非社会主义的人最后会变成“反对党和社会主义制度的反革命分子”。但是，过去朝鲜在意识形态领域的斗争并没有形成系统性的战线。金正恩执政后，为实现从“先军”向“先党”的转变、集中力量发展经济、维护国家稳定，为回应西方意识形态领域的渗透攻击，进一步升级意识形态领域的斗争力度，逐步形成系统性的战线，以统一全社会思想。可以说，意识形态领域的斗争基本贯穿了金正恩执政的十年间。

The ideological challenges facing North Korea in the Kim Jong Un era come mainly from two sides: first, the United States and other Western countries attack and smear North Korea on issues such as human rights, damaging North Korea’s international image, while simultaneously conducting ideological infiltration through economic activities in an attempt to overthrow the North Korean regime; second, South Korea, leveraging its geographical and linguistic advantages, continuously introduces capitalist culture into North Korea through religious activities, balloons, USB drives smuggled in, and radio broadcasts. “Information crossing the border” has become the main means of infiltration into North Korea’s ideological and cultural sphere. The “Korean Wave” culture, Western reactionary ideology, and the like have invaded the ideological sphere, which is extremely detrimental to unifying the thinking of the whole society and maintaining system security. Kim Jong Un believes that the socialist defense war is at an acute stage, stating that “the bourgeois ideology and culture and decadent lifestyle spread by imperialism are dangerous toxins that cause people to degenerate and deteriorate ideologically and spiritually and disintegrate the socialist system from within.” To this end, at the Eighth Conference of Ideological Workers of the WPK in February 2014, Kim Jong Un proposed two major tasks: first, “to concentrate all the firepower of the Party’s ideological work on firmly establishing the Party’s sole leadership system”; second, “to stir up a great wind of ideological warfare that vigorously promotes the socialist defense war.” Specifically, this means “externally, to politically and ideologically suppress the imperialism that blocks our path forward; internally, to use revolutionary ideology and culture to cleanse non-socialist and decadent ideology and culture.” Guided by this thinking, North Korea has, on the one hand, improved its external propaganda work, opening accounts and channels on overseas platforms such as YouTube and Weibo, adopting methods in line with the trends of the times to introduce and promote North Korea, counter the smears of the United States and South Korea, and enhance the country’s image; on the other hand, Kim Jong Un has intensified the struggle within the country against non-socialist and anti-socialist elements, rectifying moral discipline. On December 4, 2020, the 12th Plenary Session of the 14th Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly adopted the “Law on Combating Reactionary Ideology and Culture,” transforming the struggle in the ideological sphere from policy measures into legal guarantees. At the Eighth Congress of the WPK, Kim Jong Un further demanded that work in the ideological sphere be “grasped firmly as a work of the whole Party, the whole country, and the whole society,” elevating it to the level of the “governance system.”

金正恩时代朝鲜面临意识形态的挑战主要来自两方面：一是美国为首的西方国家以人权等问题攻击抹黑朝鲜，破坏朝鲜国际形象，同时又通过经济活动对朝进行意识形态渗透，试图颠覆朝鲜政权；二是韩国凭借地理和语言的优势，不断以宗教活动、气球、U盘偷运和广播放送等方式将资本主义文化传入朝鲜，“信息越境”成为朝鲜思想文化领域被渗透的主要手段。“韩流”文化、西方反动思想等入侵到意识形态领域，这对于统一全社会思想、维护体制安全极为不利，金正恩认为社会主义保卫战处于尖锐程度，“帝国主义散布的资产阶级思想文化和腐朽的生活方式是使人从思想精神上堕落和变质、从内部瓦解社会主义制度的危险的毒素”。为此，金正恩在2014年2月的朝鲜劳动党第八次思想工作者大会上提出两大任务，一是“要把党的思想工作的火力全部集中于切实建立党的唯一领导体系”，二是“刮起大力推动社会主义保卫战的思想战的大风”。具体而言，即“对外从政治思想上压制阻挡我们前进道路的帝国主义，对内用革命的思想文化清除非社会主义和颓废思想文化”。在这一思路指导下，朝鲜一方面改进对外宣传工作，在海外YouTube、微博等平台开设账户频道，采取符合时代潮流的方式介绍宣传朝鲜，反击美韩等国的抹黑，提高国家形象；另一方面，金正恩加大在国内对非社会主义、反社会主义的斗争力度，整饬道德纲纪。2020年12月4日，第十四届最高人民会议常任委员会第12次全体会议通过《反对反动思想文化排击法》，把意识形态领域的斗争由政策措施转化为法律加以保证。金正恩在朝鲜劳动党八大进一步要求把意识形态领域工作当做“全党、全国、全社会性工作来狠抓”，使其上升到了“治国体系”的高度。

(4) Actively conduct external exchanges and consolidate and develop relations with socialist countries

（四）积极开展对外交往，巩固发展同社会主义国家的关系

With the completion of the nuclear and missile programs, North Korea launched a proactive diplomatic strategy, opening a new situation in external affairs through summit diplomacy. During Kim Jong Un’s rule, North and South Korea achieved three summit meetings, breaking the deadlock in inter-Korean relations; the first-ever summit between North Korea and the United States was realized, which to a certain extent promoted the easing of the situation on the Korean Peninsula; Kim Jong Un attached great importance to relations with socialist countries, visiting China four times in a row and holding five summit meetings with General Secretary Xi Jinping; he also held meetings with leaders of socialist countries such as Vietnam and Cuba. These achievements have created a favorable external environment for North Korea to implement its new economic development strategy.

随着核导事业的完成，朝鲜开启主动出击的外交战略，通过首脑外交打开对外事业新局面。金正恩执政期间，朝韩实现了３次首脑会晤，打破北南关系的僵局；朝美首次实现元首会晤，一定程度上推动了朝鲜半岛局势的缓和；金正恩非常重视与社会主义国家的关系，连续４次访问中国，并与习近平总书记实现５次元首会晤；他还与越南、古巴等社会主义国家的领导人进行会晤。这些成果，为朝鲜实施新的经济发展战略创造良好的外部环境。

First, easing inter-Korean relations and breaking the North-South impasse. In early 2018, Kim Jong-un discussed in his New Year’s address the issue of easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and seeking national reconciliation and unity, proposing that “the acute military tension between the North and the South must be eased, and a peaceful environment on the Korean Peninsula must be created.” Subsequently, interactions between North and South Korea became frequent, including the formation of a joint North-South Korean team for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the exchange of art troupes, warming North-South relations. In 2018, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in held three summit meetings, jointly signing the *Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula* and the *September Pyongyang Joint Declaration*, providing an institutional guarantee for peace between the North and the South.

首先，缓和朝韩关系，打破南北僵局。2018年初金正恩在新年贺词中讨论了缓和半岛紧张局势、谋求民族和解与团结的问题，提出“要缓和北南之间尖锐的军事紧张状态，营造朝鲜半岛的和平环境”。随后朝韩之间互动频繁，包括组成朝韩联队参加平昌冬奥会、互派艺术访问团等形式，南北关系升温。2018年内，金正恩与文在寅实现三次首脑会晤，共同签署了《实现朝鲜半岛和平、繁荣与统一的板门店宣言》、《9月平壤共同宣言》，为南北实现和平提供了制度保证。

Second, achieving a historic DPRK-US summit. After completing the development of nuclear weapons and missiles, the 7th Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea declared the historical task of the “parallel line” [18] accomplished and began implementing a new strategic line of concentrating all efforts on economic development. To this end, North Korea had to use diplomacy as a strategic breakthrough to ensure the implementation of the new line. Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump held three meetings in Singapore, Hanoi, and Panmunjom in June 2018, February 2019, and June 2019, respectively. Although Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il had each met with Carter and Clinton during their lifetimes, those individuals were already out of office as presidents. Therefore, although these talks did not yield more substantive progress, the summit between Kim Jong-un and a sitting US president was the first in the history of DPRK-US relations, laying a foundation for further promoting peace on the peninsula. The UN Secretary-General assessed that the DPRK-US summit was an important milestone for denuclearization of the peninsula.

其次，实现历史性的朝美峰会。在完成核导开发后，朝鲜劳动党七届三中全会宣布“并举路线”的历史任务完成，开始实施全力发展经济的新战略路线。为此，朝鲜必须以外交作为战略突破口，保障新路线的实施。金正恩与美国总统特朗普于2018年6月、2019年2月和6月在新加坡、河内、板门店举行三次会晤。尽管金日成和金正日在世时均分别会见过卡特和克林顿，但是彼时他们已卸任总统职务。因此，尽管这些会谈并没有更多的实质性进展，但金正恩与现任美国总统的首脑峰会是朝美关系史上的首次，为进一步推动半岛和平打下了基础。联合国秘书长评价称，朝美首脑会晤是半岛无核化的重要里程碑。

Third, actively developing traditional friendship with socialist countries. At both the 7th and 8th Congresses of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un emphasized the need to develop friendship with socialist countries, jointly advance the socialist cause, and oppose imperialism. Kim Jong-un attached particular importance to the traditional friendship with China, stressing that “in accordance with the demands of the times and the wishes of the peoples of the two countries, we must strive to elevate and develop the DPRK-China friendship to a new strategic height, and vigorously ensure that our two parties’ common cause—socialist construction—advances vigorously without wavering amid any changes in the situation or challenges.” From 2018 to 2019, Kim Jong-un visited China four times to meet with General Secretary Xi Jinping. The two sides reached

再次，积极发展同社会主义国家的传统友谊。金正恩在朝鲜劳动党的七大与八大会议上都强调要发展同社会主义国家的友谊，共同推进社会主义事业，反对帝国主义。金正恩尤其高度重视与中国的传统友谊，他强调，“根据时代要求和两国人民的愿望，努力使朝中友谊升华发展到新的战略高度，并大力推动我们两党共同事业——社会主义建设在任何风云变幻和挑战中也毫不动摇、蓬勃前进”。2018-2019年金正恩共4次访华与习近平总书记会晤，双方就朝鲜半岛形势达成了共识，中朝间的传统友谊得到巩固和发展，习近平总书记也指出，“中朝关系已经进入新的历史时期”。两国两党领导人的高层会晤，也带动了民间的经贸、人文往来，双边关系实现了全面发展。金正恩还与古巴、越南等国领导人进行会晤，与社会主义国家的互动更为频繁，体现了新时期朝鲜对于反对帝国主义及投身世界社会主义事业的决心。

(5) Giving Full Play to the Advantages of the Korean-style Socialist System, Successfully Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic

（五）发挥朝鲜式社会主义制度优势，成功抗击新冠肺炎疫情

At the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, dealing a huge blow to the health and medical systems of all countries. To combat the pandemic, Kim Jong-un led the North Korean Party and people to give full play to the advantages of the Korean-style socialist system, adopting a series of measures to achieve “zero infections” and successfully keep the pandemic out of the country.

2020年初，新冠肺炎疫情席卷全球，对各国的卫生医疗体系造成了巨大的冲击。为抗击疫情，金正恩带领朝鲜党和人民充分发挥朝鲜式社会主义制度的优势，采取一系列措施，实现“0感染”，成功拒疫情于国门之外。

First, adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee and mobilize all forces to invest in epidemic prevention. At the early stage of the outbreak, the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea attached great importance to it. On January 30, 2020, North Korea announced the activation of the temporary Central People’s Health Guidance Committee and shifted the health and epidemic prevention system to a national emergency epidemic prevention system, requiring all localities and departments to mobilize all health and medical resources to invest in epidemic prevention work. Thereafter, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea held multiple meetings to discuss the issue of COVID-19 prevention and control. Kim Jong-un demanded that “all cadres concentrate all their strength on earnestly implementing the resolutions and directives of the Party Central Committee to ensure national security and the safety of the people’s lives.” On June 30, 2021, the Workers’ Party of Korea held the Second Enlarged Political Bureau Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee. At the meeting, relevant cadres who failed to seriously implement the Party’s deployments in the national emergency epidemic prevention campaign were severely criticized and their leadership positions were replaced. This shows the degree of importance that the Workers’ Party of Korea, with Kim Jong-un as its General Secretary, attached to the pandemic.

首先，坚持党中央的集中统一领导，调动一切力量投入防疫。疫情爆发初期，朝鲜劳动党中央便予以高度重视。2020年1月30日，朝鲜宣布启动非常设机构中央人民保健指导委员会，并将卫生防疫体系转为国家紧急防疫体系，要求各地各部门调动一切卫生医疗资源投入防疫工作。此后，朝鲜劳动党中央政治局多次就新冠疫情防控问题举行会议讨论。金正恩要求“全体干部要把一切力量集中于切实贯彻党中央的决议和指示，保障国家安全和人民生命安全”。2021年6月30日，朝鲜劳动党举行八届中央委员会第二次政治局扩大会议，会议对于有关干部在国家紧急防疫战中不认真执行党的部署进行了严厉批评并撤换了相关领导。由此可见，以金正恩为总书记的朝鲜劳动党对于疫情的重视程度。

Second, adopt ultra-special-level measures to prevent and control the epidemic and improve relevant laws. On January 22, 2020, the North Korean General Bureau of Tourism issued a notice fully suspending inbound tourism until a vaccine is produced and the epidemic is brought under control. Subsequently, North Korea announced the implementation of “ultra-special-level epidemic prevention measures,” completely closing border crossings and suspending cross-border flights, shipping, and trains, blocking all possible ways for the novel coronavirus to enter. According to reports from the Korean Central News Agency, at the beginning of the outbreak, the North Korean government implemented medical observation and quarantine for foreigners, people entering the country from abroad, and their contacts. Quarantine departments at all levels also disinfected ships, vehicles, and goods, and adopted a 10-day quarantine measure for imported goods. While building a defense line against the novel coronavirus, the Workers’ Party of Korea also began to strengthen laws and regulations related to epidemic prevention. Kim Jong-un pointed out at the enlarged Political Bureau meeting that “the primary task at present is to revise and improve the national emergency epidemic prevention law and rigorously reorganize the national crisis management regulations.” He also demanded that “the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the Cabinet, and other relevant institutions, based on the experience of preemptive and high-intensity epidemic prevention measures taken in response to the current epidemic situation, should as soon as possible further strengthen epidemic prevention forces and actively advance the work of supplementing and improving epidemic prevention means, systems, and laws.” After completing the revision of the new version of the “Infectious Disease Prevention Law,” the North Korean government quickly popularized the law among the domestic public through the media. Strict epidemic prevention measures and the improvement of relevant laws successfully prevented the spread of the epidemic in North Korea.

其次，采取超特级措施防控疫情并完善相关法律。2020年1月22日，朝鲜观光总局发布通知全面暂停赴朝旅游，直至疫苗产生及疫情得到控制。随后，朝鲜宣布实施“超特级防疫措施”，全面关闭边境口岸，停运跨境飞机、船运、火车，阻断一切可能的新冠病毒传入方式。根据朝中社报道，疫情爆发之初朝鲜政府便对外国人、旅国外入境人员和接触人员实施医学观察隔离，各级检疫部门还对船只、车辆及货物进行消毒，并对入境货物采取隔离10天的措施。在筑牢对新冠病毒防线的同时，朝鲜劳动党还着手加固有关防疫的法律法规。金正恩在政治局扩大会议中指出，“当前的首要任务是修改完善国家紧急防疫法，严谨重整国家危机管理规定”，他还要求“最高人民会议常任委员会和内阁等有关机构，要基于针对当前疫情态势采取的先发制人、高强度防疫措施经验，尽快进一步加强防疫力量，积极推进补充完善防疫手段、体系和法律的工作”。在完成新版《传染病预防法》的修订后，朝鲜政府迅速通过媒体向国内民众普及该法律。严格的防疫措施以及相关法律的完善成功阻止了疫情在朝鲜的蔓延。

04. Conclusion

04.结语

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a close neighbor of China, and the two Parties and two countries have a profound traditional friendship. In a signed article titled “Carrying Forward the China-DPRK Friendship and Writing a New Chapter for the Times” published in major North Korean media such as Rodong Sinmun, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The traditional China-DPRK friendship was personally forged and carefully cultivated by the older generation of leaders of the two Parties and two countries, and it is a valuable asset shared by both sides. Looking back, our older generation of leaders, with common ideals, beliefs, and profound revolutionary friendship, trusted and supported each other, writing a much-told story in the history of international relations.” This exposition by General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly evaluates China-DPRK relations from a historical perspective. Therefore, studying socialist North Korea is of great significance.

朝鲜民主主义人民共和国是中国的近邻，中朝两党两国有着深厚的传统友谊。习近平总书记在朝鲜《劳动新闻》等主要媒体发表题为《传承中朝友谊，续写时代篇章》的署名文章中指出：“中朝传统友谊是两党两国老一辈领导人亲自缔造和精心培育的，是双方共同的宝贵财富。回想当年，我们老一辈领导人怀着共同的理想信念和深厚的革命友谊，彼此信赖，相互支持，书写了国际关系史上的一段佳话。”习近平总书记的这一论述从历史角度深刻地评价了中朝关系。因此，研究社会主义朝鲜具有重要意义。

The people of the two Parties and two countries of China and North Korea once fought side by side against aggressors, forging a great friendship with blood. Studying the new developments and new trends of North Korea’s socialism helps us better understand North Korea and, in the new historical period, maintain, consolidate, and develop the China-DPRK friendship. In the 1990s, drastic changes occurred in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and the world socialist movement entered a low ebb. North Korea withstood international and domestic pressure, faced difficulties head-on, and actively explored a socialist path suited to its own national conditions. North Korea’s economic development and Party building process in recent years have enriched and developed the theory and practice of the world socialist movement. In addition, North Korea is located in a strategically important area, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula affects the entire world. The peaceful development of socialist North Korea is of great significance for peace and stability in Northeast Asia and for the growth of the world socialist camp.

中朝两党两国人民曾携手并肩与侵略者作战，用鲜血凝结成了伟大友谊。研究朝鲜的社会主义新发展、新动向，有助于我们更好的了解朝鲜，在新的历史时期维护好、巩固好、发展好中朝友谊。20世纪90年代苏联东欧发生剧变，世界社会主义运动进入低潮期，朝鲜顶住国际国内压力，迎难而上，积极探索符合自己国情的社会主义道路，朝鲜近年来的经济发展及党的建设进程丰富和发展了世界社会主义运动的理论与实践。此外，朝鲜地处战略要地，朝鲜半岛的局势牵动着整个世界。社会主义朝鲜的和平发展，对于东北亚地区的和平稳定以及世界社会主义阵营的壮大都具有十分重要的意义。

Socialism is constantly developing. This article studies the developments in the socialist theory, economic construction, Party building, and foreign policy of the Workers’ Party of Korea during the ten years of Kim Jong-un’s rule, reflecting only the current stage of North Korea’s socialist development. With the passage of time and the deepening of practice, the North Korean Party and people will inevitably achieve new developments in the process of exploring socialist construction (notes and English abstract omitted).

社会主义是不断发展的。本文从金正恩执政十年来朝鲜劳动党的社会主义理论、经济建设、党的建设、对外政策等方面的发展进行研究，仅仅是体现现阶段朝鲜的社会主义发展情况。随着时间的推移和实践的深入，朝鲜党和人民在探索社会主义建设的过程中必将取得新的发展（省略注释和英文摘要）。

(Author: Qian Zhengyu, Doctoral Student, Department of Scientific Socialism, Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC [National Academy of Governance])

（作者：钱政宇，中共中央党校（国家行政学院）科社教研部博士研究生）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心