[h=3]By EVAN RAMSTAD[/h]SEOUL—North Korean dictator Kim Jong Eun returned to his grandfather's practice of delivering the regime's annual New Year's message in a speech, rather than in print as his father did—though the exhortations to his 24 million citizens remained unchanged.
In the militaristic and bombastic tones characteristic of the authoritarian regime, Mr. Kim in his nationally broadcast address Tuesday portrayed the country as locked in struggle with outside forces and signaled no changes in economic or foreign policy.
ReutersNorth Korean dictator Kim Jong Eun's New Year's message focused on the economy, urging a 'socialist emulation drive to re-energize production.'
He didn't directly refer to the countries the regime normally portrays as its enemies, the U.S., South Korea and Japan, and didn't mention the nuclear-weapons program they consider most threatening.
Most of the speech focused on Mr. Kim's desire for economic progress, which he called "the most important task" and connected to a broader struggle that the regime tells North Koreans they are in.
"All the people and service personnel should dynamically turn out in the grand onward march for building a thriving country full of pride of victors and confidence in a rosy future," Mr. Kim said in the speech, broadcast on both radio and TV.
At 4,000 words, the speech was shorter than the printed statements of recent years, which have been around 6,000 to 7,000 words, and made fewer references to the country's former leaders, Mr. Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung and father, Kim Jong Il. However, Kim Jong Eun, wearing a pin showing his two predecessors, portrayed many of his directions as fulfilling their wishes.
By giving the New Year's speech himself, Mr. Kim returned to the practice set by Kim Il Sung, who founded North Korea in 1948 and ruled it until his death in 1994. During his reign, North Koreans made a tradition of dressing up and gathering in common places and homes to watch the televised speech—often the year's longest and most-significant message from the government.
Kim Jong Il, apparently reluctant to have his voice compared with his father's, resorted to printing the New Year's message. He spoke only once on a national broadcast in North Korea, a single sentence at a military parade in 1994.
After Kim Jong Il died in late December 2011, the North Korean regime at the start of 2012 stuck to his routine of delivering the New Year's message in the form of an editorial in the nation's newspapers. But as son and grandson Kim Jong Eun settled into the role as the country's leader, he exhibited the mannerisms, dress and even hairstyle of Kim Il Sung.
Kim Jong Eun has made a number of public speeches, starting at a military parade in April, allowed himself to be photographed hugging people and, in July, began to be seen in public with a woman who was later revealed to be his wife. While his father was typically photographed at military and industrial sites, the young Mr. Kim, who is believed to be 29 years old, has also been pictured at concerts and amusement parks.
In a sign that Mr. Kim was likely to return to the practice of giving the New Year's speech himself, North Korean state media on Monday produced stories praising his 2012 public speeches as having "encouraged" the North Korean people.
In Tuesday's speech, Mr. Kim followed the pattern of previous New Year's messages, reviewing the past year's accomplishments and setting goals for a variety of industries. Though the North Korean regime isn't able to maintain the high degree of control over the economy that it once did, Mr. Kim continued to promote socialism and reject private ownership and incentives.
"All sectors and all units of the national economy should push ahead with a socialist emulation drive to re-energize production and fulfill their quotas as fixed in the national economic plan for this year," he said.
In the militaristic and bombastic tones characteristic of the authoritarian regime, Mr. Kim in his nationally broadcast address Tuesday portrayed the country as locked in struggle with outside forces and signaled no changes in economic or foreign policy.
ReutersNorth Korean dictator Kim Jong Eun's New Year's message focused on the economy, urging a 'socialist emulation drive to re-energize production.'
He didn't directly refer to the countries the regime normally portrays as its enemies, the U.S., South Korea and Japan, and didn't mention the nuclear-weapons program they consider most threatening.
Most of the speech focused on Mr. Kim's desire for economic progress, which he called "the most important task" and connected to a broader struggle that the regime tells North Koreans they are in.
"All the people and service personnel should dynamically turn out in the grand onward march for building a thriving country full of pride of victors and confidence in a rosy future," Mr. Kim said in the speech, broadcast on both radio and TV.
At 4,000 words, the speech was shorter than the printed statements of recent years, which have been around 6,000 to 7,000 words, and made fewer references to the country's former leaders, Mr. Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung and father, Kim Jong Il. However, Kim Jong Eun, wearing a pin showing his two predecessors, portrayed many of his directions as fulfilling their wishes.
By giving the New Year's speech himself, Mr. Kim returned to the practice set by Kim Il Sung, who founded North Korea in 1948 and ruled it until his death in 1994. During his reign, North Koreans made a tradition of dressing up and gathering in common places and homes to watch the televised speech—often the year's longest and most-significant message from the government.
Kim Jong Il, apparently reluctant to have his voice compared with his father's, resorted to printing the New Year's message. He spoke only once on a national broadcast in North Korea, a single sentence at a military parade in 1994.
After Kim Jong Il died in late December 2011, the North Korean regime at the start of 2012 stuck to his routine of delivering the New Year's message in the form of an editorial in the nation's newspapers. But as son and grandson Kim Jong Eun settled into the role as the country's leader, he exhibited the mannerisms, dress and even hairstyle of Kim Il Sung.
Kim Jong Eun has made a number of public speeches, starting at a military parade in April, allowed himself to be photographed hugging people and, in July, began to be seen in public with a woman who was later revealed to be his wife. While his father was typically photographed at military and industrial sites, the young Mr. Kim, who is believed to be 29 years old, has also been pictured at concerts and amusement parks.
In a sign that Mr. Kim was likely to return to the practice of giving the New Year's speech himself, North Korean state media on Monday produced stories praising his 2012 public speeches as having "encouraged" the North Korean people.
In Tuesday's speech, Mr. Kim followed the pattern of previous New Year's messages, reviewing the past year's accomplishments and setting goals for a variety of industries. Though the North Korean regime isn't able to maintain the high degree of control over the economy that it once did, Mr. Kim continued to promote socialism and reject private ownership and incentives.
"All sectors and all units of the national economy should push ahead with a socialist emulation drive to re-energize production and fulfill their quotas as fixed in the national economic plan for this year," he said.