N. Korea aims for $2,500 per capita income by 2012: scholar

SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) -- North Korea aims to raise its per capita income to US$2,500 through its ongoing campaign to build a "prosperous" nation by 2012, an expert here said Wednesday, citing recent remarks by North Korean scholars at a forum in China.

North Korea's primary goal is restoring its frail economy to the level seen in
1987, when its wealth reached its peak before trade relations fell apart with the
demise of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Europe, said Kim Byeong-ro, who
attended an international forum held at Shanghai's Fudan University from Aug.
26-29.
"Forum participants intensively asked the North Korean scholar about North
Korea's goal of building a prosperous nation, rather than paying attention to his
thesis. We were curious about what it means for North Korea to 'open the door to
a prosperous nation,'" Kim said in an e-mail to media, referring to a scholar
named Ri Kyong-chol.
"Contrary to our expectations that this would draw only an abstract answer, he
gave a very concrete explanation," said Kim, an analyst with the Institute for
Peace and Unification Studies, an arm of Seoul National University.
North Korea has set 2012, the centennial of late founder Kim Il-sung's birth and
the year in which current leader Kim Jong-il turns 70, as the target year of
building a "great, prosperous and powerful nation." But few details about its
goals have been available. North Korean media credited the country's long-range
rocket test in April as coming from the 2012 prosperity campaign.
According to the Bank of Korea, the central bank in the South, North Korea's per
capita income last year was 1.17 million won, which converts roughly to $1,065.
The amount was 5.5 percent of South Korea's per capita income.
The international forum drew 150 scholars from 13 countries, including about 20
North Koreans from the Academy of Social Sciences, Kim said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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