On October 10th this year, the Workers' Party of Korea will celebrate the 80th anniversary of its founding. On the eve of this important day of special significance, Kim Jong-un specially visited the Historical Site Museum of the Founding of the Party in North Korea and delivered an important speech.

Facing the full hall of senior cadres, he announced in a rare passionate tone that North Korea is entering the "second era of founding the People's Republic of China", and within 10 years, all fields, departments and regions of North Korea will achieve new great changes. North Korea should make concerted efforts to build the country into a "socialist paradise".

Kim Jong-un's declaration not only marks a major turning point in his ruling thinking, but also reveals the ambition of this "strongest post-80s generation" for the future of North Korea.

A month before the speech, Kim Jong-un had just completed his first visit to China in six years.This five-day and four-night visit set a new record for the length of his visit, and more importantly, it was his first multilateral diplomatic stage.

In Beijing, he not only held long talks with our highest level, but also had more than two hours of in-depth exchanges with Putin, as well as interactions with leaders of many countries such as Vietnam, Belarus and others. In addition, his girlfriend also made her international debut twice, accompanied by North Korean Foreign Minister Trudeau. All this seems to be sending a signal: North Korea is trying to return to the international stage with a new, more open gesture.

During the talks with Kim Jong-un. ¡°China¡¯s celebration is also our pleasure.¡±As it seems to be a diplomatic statement, the reality reflects the repositioning of North Korea¡¯s relationship with China and DPRK. He understands that the improvement of the external environment is essential in order to realize the ambitious vision of ¡°Great Change in North Korea¡± in the next 10 years.

Kim Jong-un¡¯s biggest breakthrough in this trip to Beijing was his successful multilateral diplomatic debut.Before that, his only multilateral experience was limited to a brief tripartite meeting at Panmunjom in 2019.

After Kim Jong Un's return to the country, the DPRK showed unprecedented diplomatic activity. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Qing Yi met again within a month, after which China's prime minister announced that he would visit North Korea to participate in the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Labour Party, which is also the first time a Chinese prime minister has visited the DPRK since 2009.

This series of intense diplomatic interactions indicates that China-Korea relations are entering a new phase. "No matter how the international situation changes, we will continue to deepen the traditional friendship between the DPRK and China", and we responded Maintaining, consolidating, and developing good relations with the DPRK has always been the firm strategic policy of the Chinese Party and government.¡£

Both statements point to the same direction: in an uncertain international environment, China-North Korea relations will become an important external support for North Korea¡¯s promotion of the ¡°second era of nation-building.¡±

Kim Jong-un clearly defined the 10 years between the 2019 North Korean G8 and the 2029 North Korean G9 as "the second era of North Korea's nation-building", which is not only a simple change in slogans, but also a comprehensive escalation of its strategy of governance.

In particular, he emphasized that at this stage, he was worried about "bringing about new great changes in all fields, sectors and regions". In fact, this means that this change in North Korea will no longer be limited to military or individual economic fields, but will cover all-round political, economic and social transformation.

It is noteworthy that Kim Jong-un, when explaining this idea, both emphasized the traditional principle of ¡°self-decision and self-determination¡± and rarely mentioned ¡°depending on the people¡¯s strength.¡±This subtle change in expression suggests that he probably has already realized that real change must be based on wider social participation, and that it is clearly far from sufficient to rely on the North Korean Labour Party and government alone.

Despite his ambition, he must say that Kim Jong Un¡¯s ambition is also faced with real constraints, which he personally acknowledged in his speech that North Korea today is facing ¡°systemic problems and structural contradictions.¡±

Another analogy that is familiar to all of us in China is that there is a huge gap between advanced ideas and a lagging system, i.e. a ¡°green-skinned wagon hanging on the head of a high-speed train.¡±

The balance between economic autonomy and opening up to the outside world is equally difficult. Kim Jong-un emphasizes "self-reliance" but also seeks external cooperation; he hopes to obtain foreign investment and technology, but is also worried about over-reliance on the outside. This contradiction will surely continue to emerge in North Korea's future development.

More importantly, to push forward the reform on the premise of maintaining political stability, the difficulty of this operation is tantamount to dancing in chains. Kim Jong-un should not only achieve great economic changes, but also ensure the absolute stability of the power structure, which undoubtedly requires extremely high political wisdom.

Without a doubt, 2025 will be a crucial year for Kim Jong-un.Whether it¡¯s a ¡°second era¡± or ¡°building a socialist paradise,¡± these slogans mean not only beautiful promises, but also a high-risk political betting.

What Kim Jong-un has to bet this time is whether he can economic development under the premise ofining institutional stability, whether he can gain international space while adhering to independence, and whether he can create a whole new situation on the basis of inheriting revolutionary tradition.

To some extent, Kim Jong-un brought back from China not only diplomatic achievements, but also a sense of urgency for change. What he heard in Beijing undoubtedly deepened his understanding of the gap between North Korea and the world.

There is a long way to go. Kim Jong-un's transformation has just begun, but its final result will surely redefine North Korea's status and role on the world stage in the 21st century.