North Korea’s ‘Difficult Situation’: A Call to Action Amidst Economic and External Challenges

The Ministry of Unification has weighed in on North Korea’s characterization of the current situation as a “difficult situation” in the Rodong Sinmun front-page editorial, stating that it acknowledges the difficulties of the current situation.

A Ministry of Unification official analyzed the situation, noting that the title of the editorial, “Let’s overcome the difficulties we face with a smile, holding on to the belief in victory,” bears resemblance to the slogan from the Arduous March in the 1990s, “Let’s overcome the difficult road with a smile.”

The term ‘difficulty’ is believed to be a comprehensive evaluation of the prolonged sanctions against North Korea and the economic situation that has been poor for years due to self-lockdown following COVID-19, in addition to flood damage.

The Rodong Sinmun editorial urged cadres and workers to embody a strong will to overcome difficulties with a smile and a firm belief in their own strength, and to become self-reliant strong people who treasure what is theirs and find the secret to development and advancement through their own efforts.

The newspaper also emphasized the need to aggressively pursue and further deepen ideological education in line with today’s realistic demands, and to nurture everyone into true revolutionaries and optimists who can overcome any difficulties with laughter.

North Korea appears to be seeking self-help measures to overcome the current situation by imposing heavy responsibilities and roles on its officials amid recent domestic and international difficulties. This move is likely intended to unite the country internally to overcome economic difficulties through flood recovery and externally through long-term sanctions against the North.

The ‘Arduous March’ period, which refers to the time in the 1990s when North Korea was overcoming economic and external crises, is also the origin of the serious food insecurity problem. During this period, North Korea requested food aid from international organizations and internally tried to overcome the crisis with the revolutionary spirit of the anti-Japanese struggle period.