DPRK Under Kim Jong-Un: Key Results of the First Decade (2012-2021)

The article examines the main trends and results of the political, military and economic deve­lopment of the DPRK in the first decade under the young leader Kim Jong-un. It shows that the state and party administration system has been gradually reshaped under the new leader, whose power has not diminished in comparison with his predecessors. Despite the lack of publicity, the reorganization of the North Korean administrative system has been progressing and was aimed at improving the quality of the state machinery and the party apparatus. The authors review the results of the country’s progress in the nuclear missile field. Given the development of the delivery systems, the nuclear missile potential of North Korea has gone past the minimum level of containing potential enemies and aims for reliability: chances of a successful retaliatory strike not only in the territory of allied America, but also in the continental territory of the USA have significantly increased. The paper highlights the main trends of strengthening the DPRK’s international positions in this period, as well as the remaining problems of the nuclear problem of North Korea. The authors analyse the main directions of Kim Jong-un’s economic policy and the key challenges to the country’s economic development. The attempt to modernize the economy and embark on the path of sustainable growth through the expansion of foreign economic relations was disrupted by international sanctions. The ‘quasi-market’ reforms that began in the early years of Kim Jong-un’s rule and were closely connected with foreign trade exchange became sluggish, and the state strengthened administrative control over their allocation amid the shortage of domestic resources. It is concluded that the main goals of the DPRK’s main state sub-systems (military, politics, economy) are subject to the task of maintaining the stability of the current management system of the country, as this is seen by the leader as a guarantee of the physical survival of the state.