제재⋅코로나 시기 제⋅개정 법령을 통해 본 북한의 경제정책

Abstract

This article analyzes the laws in the economic field, especially those closely related to the economic management system, among the laws published in the “North Korean Laws” published by the National Intelligence Service of South Korea in October 2022. Most of these laws were enacted and amended between 2020 and 2022. The purpose of this article is to identify and evaluate the main contents of the North Korean government’s policy response to overcome economic difficulties during sanctions and COVID-19 through the window of these laws. The policy goal of this revision can be summarized as “maintenance and reinforcement of the economic business system and order,” to borrow North Korea’s expression. And it has several characteristics, such as △ re-centralization, △decentralization/marketization, △strengthening of self-reliance in provinces and sectors, and △reasonable institutional improvement. It is noteworthy that this revision lacks consistency compared to the time when the Our Style Economic Management Method and the Socialist Enterprise Responsibility Management System were implemented in the early days of Kim Jong-un’s rule. Inconsistencies between statutes and statutory provisions are also noticeable. At the same time, it is questionable whether the policy response is systematic. In the past, when implementing the Our Style Economic Management Method, one of the key policy directions was to seek compromise through a compromise of interests between the government, firms, and households, but now, the core policy direction has changed to prioritize the interests of the central government. In addition, at the time of the implementation of the Our Style Economic Management Method, the main policy direction was to drive desirable economic behaviors of firms and farms through expansion of autonomy and economic incentives, but now it has changed to forcing economic actors to act through legal and administrative control. Of course, it is not a return to the period prior to the implementation of the Our Style Economic Management Method. However, it seems clear the purpose of the Our Style Economic Management Method have faded. In the end, the new policies during the sanctions and COVID-19 era can be evaluated as retrogressive in general.