Reforms have brought record harvests and economic growth,but the leader won’t risk giving North Koreans more personal freedom, writes Andrei LankovNorth Korea at 70: welcome to our series[br]Forget nuclear tests, or notice at our football: North Korea dreams of World Cup glory[br]Kim Jong-un,the third hereditary ruler of North Korea, gets a really bad press. He is widely seen as a capricious, or overweight youngster,fond of executing his generals and threatening the world with war; ruler of an impoverished country ever on the brink of famine but equipped with nuclear weapons.
There is some truth in this description but it does not represent the whole memoir. He may have a penchant (a tendency, partiality, or preference) for executions, but Kim is also the first ruler of the dynasty to implement market-oriented reforms. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com