Kim Jong Un has suggested the idea of manual labor elimination by way of automation during a visit to a cosmetic's factory on Sunday as a way of modernizing the hampered North Korean economy, Newsweek reported.
Kim was visiting a cosmetics factory in the Sinuiju province, a trade hub located near North Korea's border with China. It was the North Korean leader's first public appearance since visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping for the third time last month, the magazine said.
"It is important to completely eliminate manual labor and modernize production processes," Kim said while viewing the factory, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo said.
According to a 2017 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the introduction of a one robot per thousand workers reduces the employment to population ratio by about 0.18-0.34 percentage points and wages by 0.25-0.5 percent in the United States.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim's wife Lee Sol-ju and his top aides accompanied Kim during the visit, according to the website AsiaOne. The website noted that Hwang Pyong-so, who was dismissed from the post of director of the North Korean military's powerful General Political Bureau last year, was among those on the trip.
"I had always hoped for a visit to the cosmetic factory in Sinuiju… They are famous for producing cosmetics with a spring scent," Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA, according to AsiaOne. "After being briefed about the good results at the factory, I took some time out of my schedule to visit."
AsiaOne wrote that experts believe that Kim's visit has raised the prospect of Pyongyang seeking to enhance cross-border economic co-operation with China as Beijing pushes for a relaxation of sanctions against North Korea following its historic summit with President Donald Trump.
The summit reportedly resulted in an agreement for North Korean denuclearization in exchange for security guarantees from the United States.
"It would be wrong if China lifts economic sanctions without any indication of denuclearization from North Korea… but North Korea has made a commitment for complete denuclearization and took some steps proactively," Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, according to AsiaOne.
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