NIS: "North Korea Strengthens Regime with 'Kim Jong-un's Attention'... Currency Issuance Difficult Due to Ink Shortage"

Signs of Yongbyon Nuclear Facility Resuming Operations in First Half
Shortage of Disinfectants Leads to Spread of Waterborne Diseases
Rejection of Russian and Chinese Vaccines

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated that an independent ideological system is being established in North Korea, as evidenced by the emergence of the term "Kim Jong-unism." There is also an analysis suggesting that North Korea may have additionally secured plutonium by operating the Yongbyon reprocessing facility in the first half of this year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Byung-gi of the Democratic Party and Ha Tae-kyung of the People Power Party, the secretaries of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, briefed during the committee’s audit at the NIS on the 28th, saying, "Until now, North Korea had only Kim Il-sungism or Kim Jong-ilism, but it has been confirmed that the term Kim Jong-unism is now being used," adding, "There is an attempt to establish Kim Jong-unism, differentiated from Kim Il-sungism and Kim Jong-ilism."

They reported, "On the occasion of Kim Jong-un’s 10th anniversary in power, photos of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-un were removed from party meeting halls, and internally, the use of Kim Jong-unism has appeared, indicating a move toward independent leadership."

Regarding North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, the NIS stated, "The Yongbyon 5MW reactor, which was shut down in 2018, has recently shown signs of reactivation," and "Signs of operation at the Yongbyon reprocessing facility were identified from February to July this year, with reports suggesting that spent fuel reprocessing may have been conducted during this period." The secretaries from both ruling and opposition parties in the Intelligence Committee said, "It appears that North Korea is strengthening its nuclear capabilities by additionally securing plutonium and emphasizing the strategic value of Yongbyon."

North Korea’s economic situation was reported to be worsening.

According to the NIS report to the Intelligence Committee, "North Korea-China trade volume until September this year was about $185 million, which is one-third of the same period last year, and the trade volume in September was 29% compared to 2019." North Korea had been importing paper and ink necessary for currency issuance, but with imports halted, it has faced difficulties in issuing currency.

It was also reported that there are difficulties in importing pharmaceutical raw materials. According to the NIS, "Due to a shortage of disinfectants, waterborne infectious diseases such as typhoid are spreading." However, regarding COVID-19, North Korea still maintains the position that there have been no cases. In particular, North Korea is refusing vaccines provided by China, Russia, and COVAX.

However, agricultural conditions were reported to have relatively improved. The secretaries of the Intelligence Committee from both parties said, "To overcome the food shortage, North Korea mobilized the entire military and civilians to complete rice harvesting around October 20, earlier than usual, and due to increased sunlight hours, the yield is expected to exceed last year’s level."

Meanwhile, the NIS reported that there are no health issues with Chairman Kim, whose recent weight loss had raised health concerns, and that the theory of a body double is unfounded. According to Intelligence Committee members, "Chairman Kim appears to have lost about 20 kg from 140 kg in 2019 and seems to have no significant health problems," adding, "The theory of a body double, raised by some, is conclusively reported to have no basis." They utilized facial volumetric analysis, weight estimation models, and ultra-high-resolution analysis results.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.