Korea Global Forum for Peace 2020: KGFP Webinar on Future of Korean Peninsula Agriculture and Development Path of North Korea

11/21/2020 3:15:05 PM

The webinar was held on September 9, 2020 at 11:30 am (Hanoi, GMT+7) by Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI). The webinar was moderated by Mr. Kim Hong Sang, President of KREI. During his opening speech, Mr. Kim emphasized the growing interest in North Korea regarding the tendency of marketization and privatization as well as the adoption of market principles in the agricultural sector. 

Mr. Choi Yongho, research fellow at KREI, was the first speaker with the presentation about “Development path of North Korean agriculture and policy implications”. Mr. Choi provided an introduction and analysis of agricultural policy changes in North Korea, affirming potential risks of a crisis and top priorities to be set for food security related issues. The current policies and the market liberalization of farm produce yielded little efficacy. It therefore required to look at the practices from other centrally planned economies, particularly for investment attraction and foreign assistance and cooperation.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Tuan, Director of Vietnam Institute of Economics, was the second speaker. Dr. Tuan shared about Vietnam’s agricultural reforms during the country’s market-oriented reforms and economic liberalization, which had drawn the interest of the North Korean government. His presentation also offers key suggestions for North Korea’s agricultural development roadmap.

The discussion was contributed by Mr. Kim Young-Hoon (Senior Research Fellow, KREI), Prof. Yang Moon-Soo (University of North Korean Studies), Mr. Choi Jangho (Team Lead, KREI), Mr. Lim Hyoung-Joon (Director, WWFP Global Office in Korea, UN World Food Programme) and other participants.

The webinar ended at 13:30 (Hanoi, GMT+7) with valuable comments and suggestions for North Korea’s cooperation roadmap for agricultural development.