The Pyongyang Times reporter Jong Hwa Sun recently interviewed Choe Chol, section chief at the University of National Economy, and Kim Ung Ho, section chief at the Academy of Social Sciences, about the matter of building up the independent socialist economy.
Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un put it forward as an important task in economic construction to further strengthen the might of the independent socialist economy in his New Year Address. Could you explain about this?
Kim: The strength of the independent socialist economy is intensively manifested by solidity that withstands any external pressure and influence and satisfaction of material needs for economic development, improvement of people’s livelihood and socialist construction by local efforts, technologies and resources. In short, the strength hangs on how firmly the nation’s material and technical foundations are built. Therefore, it is just the strength of the independent material and technical foundations, and increasing the strength means solidifying the socialist material and technical foundations.
Choe: That has been substantiated through the whole course of socialist economic construction in the DPRK which has surmounted all raging storms of history. The DPRK, on the principle of self-reliance in the economy, set building of an independent national economy as the main direction of economic construction in the initial period of a new Korea building and has built and developed the economy by its own efforts, technologies and resources. The foundations of the independent economy were further consolidated through the efforts for laying the foundation of socialism, realizing socialist industrialization and carrying out several rounds of long-term plans.
Kim: As our economy was built as a comprehensively developed economy relying on domestic materials and an independent socialist economy that built up the structure of all sectors, including light industry and agriculture, based on a powerful heavy industry, it could make a steady development even when the world underwent serious economic crises including those of oil, food and resources in the 1970s and 1980s. The country could invariably hold fast to the banner of socialism and advance socialist construction in the periods of the Arduous March and the forced march in the 1990s, thanks in part to the solid foundations of the independent economy.
Choe: Once, a foreign president expressed his feelings of envy towards our economy, saying the “only country that develops its economy to my satisfaction is the DPRK as its economy is not dependent on any others”. And many countries admire the great mobilizing ability of our economy and our potentials of economic rejuvenation.
It is the Korean people’s unshakable will to demonstrate once again the spirit of socialist Korea by further building up the independent socialist economy, isn’t it?
Choe: Indeed. Upholding the new strategic line of the Workers’ Party of Korea last year, the Kim Chaek and Hwanghae iron and steel complexes in the metallurgical industry broke away from the yoke of coke and made a big stride for the Juche-orientation of the industry, while chemical factories held higher the banner of Juche-orientation. The country’s electricity output was boosted remarkably and the agricultural sector produced many more high-yielding units and farmers even in unfavourable weather conditions
Kim: This year we are faced with the task of expanding the country’s capability of independent development to open up bright prospects for socialist construction. At present, all the economic sectors are striving to further strengthen the independent socialist economy by dint of local technologies and resources and the high creative spirit and enthusiasm of the people under the banner of self-reliance and self-sufficiency, in order to successfully complete the five-year strategic plan for national economic development and go over to a new development stage.
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