북한헌법 선군 및 경제조항의 관점에서 바라본 북한 ‘핵-경제 병진노선’의 허구성에 관한 연구

Abstract

As inferred by its name, North Korea’s ‘Nuclear-Economy Parallel Policy’ is literally the course of action that Kim Jong-Un’s regime plans to take in order to make the country both a military and economic power through concurrent nuclear weapon and economic development. The interesting point is that the overall and relevant subjects of ‘nuclear weapons’ and ‘economy,’ which are the two pillars of the ‘Nuclear-Economy Parallel Policy,’ are already contained in the current North Korean Constitution. The North Korean Constitution stipulates the Military-First Ideology in Article 3 as the basis for developing nuclear weapons, Article 34 for the economic system of the country, and Articles 20 through 22 describe the attitude of the North Korean government towards personal property rights. Additionally, Article 34 and Article 3 provide the external position of the government on international free trade and the actual circumstances that reflect them directly and indirectly. However, when we review the related articles for the Nuclear-Economy Parallel Policy from the constitutional and economic viewpoints, we reach a conclusion that nuclear development and economic development by the North Korean government cannot be realized at the same time. Ironically, the related articles of the current North Korean Constitution, which were legislated for the purpose of proclaiming North Korea a military power and an economic power, clearly reveal the unrealistic and false nature of the ‘Nuclear-Economy Parallel Policy,’ which is pursued by the country. Nonetheless, North Korea, despite its poor economic situation, has shown considerable progress in development of nuclear weapons recently. This is not only the direct result of dictator Kim Jong-Un’s strong obsession for the maintenance of his dictatorial power, but also the indirect result of the irregular and roundabout support from China, which does not want the collapse of its close ally. However, as North Korea’s nuclear missile development is not yet on the eve of stable completion, I believe that the unrealistic and the unsustainable nature of the ‘Nuclear-Economy Parallel Policy’ will become clearer through the tougher United Nations sanctions that will remedy the shortcomings of the current UN Security Council Resolution 2270.