So far so good for Kim Jong-un

The 6th session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was held on Tuesday. With Kim Jong-un about to complete one year in office, there is much speculation across the world over his administrative performance and the direction in which the DPRK's economy is headed.

According to Korean Central News Agency, the assembly agreed to extend compulsory schooling by a year to better "train able revolutionaries", showing that Pyongyang is attaching greater importance to talents able to expedite national development. The assembly has not announced any major economic or agricultural reforms, though, as many had expected.

The DPRK is not expected to change overnight. Since Kim Jong-il had been a powerful leader for a long time, the greatest challenge Kim Jong-un faced when he assumed office was to make the succession smooth and consolidate power. That means, Kim Jong-un has had to uphold Kim Jong-il's political policies, especially the military-first principle, because only after strengthening his core position in Pyongyang can he lead the country toward economic development.