North Korea in 'drive for prosperity'
Source: Agencies |
January 2, 2012, Monday
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NORTH Korea vowed yesterday to stage an all-out drive for prosperity as it unites behind new leader Kim Jong Un, ushering in 2012 with promises to resolve food shortages, bolster its military and defend Kim Jong Il's young son "unto death."
The pledge in North Korea's annual New Year's message comes as the country enters a new era, with Kim Jong Un installed as supreme commander of the 1.2 million-strong military and as ruling party leader following his father's death last month.
On the streets of Pyongyang, the mood was more somber than in past New Year's celebrations, as people gathered to pay tribute to the man who had ruled the country for 17 years.
The New Year's message didn't include the routine harsh criticism of the United States and avoided the country's nuclear ambitions.
This year is a crucial one for North Korea as it tries to build a "great, prosperous and powerful nation" befitting the April 2012 centenary of the birth of national founder Kim Il Sung.
"Glorify this year 2012 as a year of proud victory, a year when an era of prosperity is unfolding," said the New Year's message carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
"The party, the army and all the people should possess a firm conviction that they will become human bulwarks and human shields in defending Kim Jong Un unto death."
In Pyongyang, the day was cold, snowy and gray, with splashes of bright color provided by flags, lanterns and banners reading "Happy New Year" that decorated the streets. The celebrations, however, just three days after the official mourning period for Kim Jong Il ended, were muted, unlike past years when cheerful people in their best clothes thronged the streets.
From early morning, streams of people, their expressions solemn, bowed and laid bouquets and wreaths at monuments to Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung. Families trudged through the snow, carrying potted flowers and plants, to put their offerings beneath large portraits of a smiling Kim Jong Il.
North Korea said in the New Year's message that it would boost its military, and boasted that it is "at the epochal point of opening the gates of a thriving country," with parts of Pyongyang "turned into socialist fairylands."
Still, it acknowledged the country's food crisis, saying "the food problem is a burning issue." North Korea had been in talks with the US on food aid, but they stopped because of Kim Jong Il's death.
The New Year message spoke of a desire for reunification with South Korea, but did not give specifics.
The pledge in North Korea's annual New Year's message comes as the country enters a new era, with Kim Jong Un installed as supreme commander of the 1.2 million-strong military and as ruling party leader following his father's death last month.
On the streets of Pyongyang, the mood was more somber than in past New Year's celebrations, as people gathered to pay tribute to the man who had ruled the country for 17 years.
The New Year's message didn't include the routine harsh criticism of the United States and avoided the country's nuclear ambitions.
This year is a crucial one for North Korea as it tries to build a "great, prosperous and powerful nation" befitting the April 2012 centenary of the birth of national founder Kim Il Sung.
"Glorify this year 2012 as a year of proud victory, a year when an era of prosperity is unfolding," said the New Year's message carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
"The party, the army and all the people should possess a firm conviction that they will become human bulwarks and human shields in defending Kim Jong Un unto death."
In Pyongyang, the day was cold, snowy and gray, with splashes of bright color provided by flags, lanterns and banners reading "Happy New Year" that decorated the streets. The celebrations, however, just three days after the official mourning period for Kim Jong Il ended, were muted, unlike past years when cheerful people in their best clothes thronged the streets.
From early morning, streams of people, their expressions solemn, bowed and laid bouquets and wreaths at monuments to Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung. Families trudged through the snow, carrying potted flowers and plants, to put their offerings beneath large portraits of a smiling Kim Jong Il.
North Korea said in the New Year's message that it would boost its military, and boasted that it is "at the epochal point of opening the gates of a thriving country," with parts of Pyongyang "turned into socialist fairylands."
Still, it acknowledged the country's food crisis, saying "the food problem is a burning issue." North Korea had been in talks with the US on food aid, but they stopped because of Kim Jong Il's death.
The New Year message spoke of a desire for reunification with South Korea, but did not give specifics.
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