Mickey mouse in Pyongyang

Six months after Kim Jong-un took the helm in North Korea, signs of change have been palpable in the reclusive state. At least the style, if not the content, of rule has changed.

Yet nothing was more astonishing, or even weird, than to watch the 20-something leader seemingly embrace the popular culture of the North’s No. 1 enemy, the United States, recently.

It is not certain what the North Korean gesture implies: An olive branch to America? A leader’s efforts to soothe his weary ― and hungry ― people? Or a hint of upcoming reform in the communist country state? The answer could be all or none of them, given the enigmatic nature of the isolationist state and its leader.

Whatever he intended, however, a gesture is meaningless if it does not lead to a real change. Kim’s apparent efforts to change North Korea ― or at least to make it appear so ― could backfire unless they result in a more tangible improvement in living conditions.

For instance, the completion of Ryukyong Hotel’s exterior works may change Pyongyang’s cityscape, but it can widen the gap between the capital city and provinces further even in the impoverished country.

Likewise, Kim’s mobilization of limited resources for demonstrative projects might lead to the failure to bring about substantive improvement in livelihoods, which, when combined with the ideological revulsion of the Old Guard, could sandwich the young leader.

This notwithstanding, Seoul can ill afford to laugh away Kim’s enthusiasm for Disney and Hollywood characters as just a childish taste for over-the-hill U.S. pop culture. Like it or not, the next South Korean leader should be ready to sit with his or her North Korean counterpart if for no other purpose than keeping Kim from turning inward or seeking help from foreign patrons, say China.

Given what he has done in the past half a year, Kim also may not be as young as he appears. <The Korea Times>

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