China-Style Reform Seen In Store for North Korea

BEIJING - A government official said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's support for China's market reforms is a sign that similar changes may be in store for the North.

"Kim Jong-il's support for the three major policy goals implies that he might introduce capitalist ideas in the North," a South Korean government official said. "It was not just lip service."

China's three major policy goals are to advance its productivity, culture and broad-based profit production. The market reforms also provided ways for Chinese entrepreneurs to become members of the Chinese Communist Party. According to a Chinese government official, when President Jiang Zemin of China explained to Mr. Kim that he is promoting the projects of the Party based on the three policy goals, Mr. Kim replied that those goals embrace the cherished desires of the people.

It was a notably more enthusiastic endorsement than the one the North Korean leader gave during his visit to Shanghai in January. At that time he said Shanghai's success demonstrated that China's market reforms were "working."

Meanwhile, China's state-run Xinhua press agency reported that Mr. Jiang pledged to support North Korea with rice, petroleum and chemical fertilizers.

The North Korean leader expressed his thanks for the much-needed support at his first meeting with Mr. Jiang, and the details are now reportedly being hammered out by high-ranking officials from both nations.

During their second meeting on Tuesday, the Chinese leader reached a mutual agreement with Mr. Kim on efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders reported the results in a joint statement after the meeting.

by You Sang-chul