A/HRC/25/CRP.1 147. The 2007 election of President Lee Myung-bak in the ROK reversed the Sunshine Policy approach and focused on reciprocity and denuclearization. Unhappy with the change in tone, the DPRK made personalized attacks against him102 and escalated military tensions. Since 2007, there have not been any ministerial level talks between the ROK and the DPRK. In 2008, Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke. In 2009, the DPRK’s leadership attempted to gain control over its citizens and the process of marketization by implementing a drastic currency reform. Although the DPRK had previously attempted currency reforms in 1959, 1979 and 1992, the 2009 currency reform failed by causing widespread dismay and disruption by triggering massive inflation and temporarily halting the markets. The socalled reform introduced new notes with a devaluation of the currency but the salaries of state employees was effectively raised resulting in massive inflation. Many citizens had their savings disappear through the exchange limitation and the subsequent drastic rise in prices.103 148. In 2009, the DPRK conducted missile tests, withdrew from the Six Party Talks, ejected all international monitors from the Yongbyon facility where it reprocessed 8,000 fuel rods and conducted its second nuclear test. The Security Council passed Resolution 1874 tightening sanctions.104 The DPRK accused the United States and the ROK of declaring war, leading to its announcement that the DPRK was no longer bound by the 1953 Armistice Agreement. 149. Following his stroke, Kim Jong-il began to focus more explicitly on the issue of his succession. Until 2001, his first-born son, Kim Jong-nam, had been presumed to be heirapparent when with several family members he attempted to enter Japan on fake Dominican passports. In early 2009, the official propaganda organs started mentioning the “New Star General”. Formal evidence of the selection of Kim Jong-un as Kim Jong-il’s heir apparent only emerged in 2010. In March 2010, the ROK’s naval corvette Cheonan was attacked and sunk by an underwater torpedo, killing 46 sailors.105 In September 2010, during the Workers’ Party of Korea’s first convention since the 1980 Party Congress, Kim Jong-il’s sister Kim Kyong-hui and Kim Jong-un were promoted to four-star generals although neither had served in the military. At the same time, Kim Jong-un was appointed the ViceChairman of the Central Military Commission. In November 2010, the DPRK shelled Yeonpyeong Island killing four ROK citizens. On 19 December 2011, the government announced that Kim Jong-il had died two days earlier. Dynastic succession promptly moved to the third generation of Kim Il-sung’s family. It appears that this transition 102 103 104 105 of Korea and imposes an asset freeze and travel ban on persons related to the nuclear-weapon programme. Through its decision, the Council prohibited the provision of large-scale arms, nuclear technology and related training to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as luxury goods, calling upon all States to take cooperative action, including through inspection of cargo, in accordance with their respective national laws. For example, in 2012, the Korean Central News Agency captioned a cartoon of President Lee Myungbak: “The dirty hairy body of rat-like Myung-bak is being stabbed with bayonets. One is right in his neck and the heart has already burst open. Blood is flowing out of its filthy bottom hole.” Available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22038370. For more detail on the 2009 currency reform, see section IV.D . Between 2006 and 2013, the United Nations Security Council passed five resolutions on the DPRK imposing sanctions and counter-proliferation measures against missiles: resolutions 1695 (2006), 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013) and 2094 (2013). A joint investigation by the ROK, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia took six months and found that the Cheonan was attacked by an underwater torpedo manufactured by the DPRK. China did not accept the results and blocked the UN Security Council resolution condemning the DPRK for the attack. 41