On the scene with Mike Chinoy in Pyongyang

Chinoy

CNN Hong Kong Bureau Chief Mike Chinoy recently visited North Korea as the country marked the 55th anniversary of the ruling Korean Workers' Party. That coincided with a trip to Washington by the highest-ranking Korean official ever to visit the United States. Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok's three days of talks led to the announcement that U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would travel to the North Korean capital. On the eve of her historic journey, Chinoy, who has visited North Korea 12 times, offers some insight on that country and its uneasy relations with the rest of the world.

On relations between the United States and North Korea:

The dramatic change in U.S.-North Korea relations represents a major shift in policy both in Pyongyang and in Washington.

For decades, the North Koreans have seen the Unites States as their mortal enemy. In recent years, however, the North Korean leadership has sought to forge a new relationship with the United States, convinced that its long-term security and survival requires ending the state of hostility with the world's only remaining superpower.

For Pyongyang, this effort began with a decision by the late president Kim Il Sung in 1994 to freeze his country's nuclear program following the intervention of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Kim also agreed to a summit meeting with then-South Korean President Kim Young-sam. With Kim Il Sung's sudden death in July, 1994, and Kim Young-sam's refusal to express condolences, the tentative thaw came to an abrupt halt. Even as the U.S. and North Korea edged towards better ties through the implementation of their joint "agreed framework" on nuclear issues, the Korean Peninsula remained one of the most volatile places on Earth.

In the late 1990s, two dramatic developments changed the dynamic on the peninsula. In late 1997, long-time dissident Kim Dae-jung was elected president of South Korea, with a platform on improving ties with Pyongyang. Soon after, President Clinton asked former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry to conduct a full-scale review of United States policy towards North Korea. After a landmark visit to Pyongyang in the spring of 1999, Perry recommended the U.S. also seek to engage North Korea.

The fruits of this shift became apparent earlier this year, with President Kim Dae Jung's landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang. That meeting set the stage for the recent visit to Washington by North Korean envoy Jo Myong Rok. While his talks did not appear to achieve major progress on any of the substantive issues dividing the two countries, such as missiles or terrorism, North Korean officials here said progress was made on the broader issue of creating a new framework for better U.S.-North Korea relations. That framework has made it possible for Secretary of State Albright to become the highest-ranking American ever to visit North Korea.

Inside North Korea

In mid-October, we traveled to Pyongyang to cover massive celebrations hailing the 55 years of rule by the Korean Workers' Party.

But as celebrations died down, North Korean still face serious problems. After a promising harvest in 199, international aid workers say that a combination of drought and typhoons have caused major damage to the crops here, raising the specter of more food shortages just as the country was emerging from several years of near-famine conditions.

More broadly, the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is facing a question of how to deal with repairing the damage caused by years of economic decline due not only to natural disasters, but the inefficiency of Pyongyang's rigid socialist system. Most outside analysts agree that economic reform is essential for long-term recovery.

So far, the regime has taken major initiatives to improve its external relations, in the hope of gaining economic aid and international legitimacy. One by-product has been a gradual influx of outside influences, as growing numbers of foreign aid workers, diplomats, and business people travel to Pyongyang.