Research Report
Ⅰ. Backgrounds and Purposes
○ In North Korea, emphasis has recently been placed on agriculture and the “New Program on Rural Construction” (2021) has been published.
○ The time is ripe for a systematic understanding of North Korean Law on Agriculture and Life Resources.
Ⅱ. Major Content
○ The development of North Korean agricultural policy can be divided into three stages by virtue of the Rural Theses (1964) and the New Program (2021).
○ The novelty of the New Program is expressed mainly through the phrases of “the People-First Principle”, or “Socialist Rural Development”.
○ In North Korean Law on Agriculture and Life Resources, the Agricultural Act, the Farm Act, and the relevant provisions of the Socialist Constitution play the role of 'basic acts’.
○ Elements of food supply and rural development are still on the make: the “Socialist Rural Development Act” was adopted on September 7, 2022.
○ North Korean Law on Agriculture and Life Resources has a narrower scope than that of South Korea, with the effects of its basic acts being relatively weak.
Ⅲ. Expected Effects
○ Can classify North Korean Law on Agriculture and Life Resources.
○ Can identify which (sectoral) act assumes the role of basic act in North Korean Law on Agriculture and Life Resources (eg. the Agricultural Act)
○ Attempts to provide an article-by-article commentary to the Agricultural Act etc.