As the New Year approaches, all eyes are on North Korea’s joint New Year editorial, which is expected to set the tone of Pyongyang’s policies in the post-Kim Jong-il era.

North Korea traditionally publishes a joint New Year editorial every year on Jan. 1 through three state-run newspapers, along with the Korea Central News Agency.

The editorial usually proclaims New Year policies on politics, economy, inter-Korean relations and foreign relations as well as the overall assessment of the previous year’s national performance.

When former leader Kim Il-sung was alive, Kim used to announce his New Year message through broadcasting channels.

North Korea has published the joint New Year editorials since 1995, a year after Kim’s death.

With the demise of Kim Jong-il and his 37-year dictatorial rule on Dec. 17, neighboring countries including South Korea, Japan and China as well as Western powers like the U.S. are likely to gauge his heir apparent Kim Jong-un’s policies through the New Year editorial.

North Korea experts forecast that the editorial will praise the late Kim’s achievements and emphasize that the young Kim will complete his father’s unfinished work to build a “strong and prosperous state.”

“The key message of North Korea’s joint New Year editorial is expected to stress the leadership of Kim Jong-un in completing the construction of a strong state with him,” Yang Moo-jin, a North Korean expert at South Korea’s University of North Korean Studies, was quoted by the Yonhap news agency as saying.

Bilateral talks with Washington and the resumption of six-party nuclear talks were the Kim’s major goals for Pyongyang’s security.

Seoul and Washington are likely to decide their policy towards Pyongyang after the release of the New Year editorial.

North Korea is expected to focus on dialogue with South Korea and those involved in six-party nuclear talks, as it desperately needs economic aid to stabilize its regime after the death of Kim Jong-il, other observers said.

The New Year editorial is expected to mention the continuation of the late Kim’s “military-first” policy, as well, considering that the state newspaper Rodong Sinmun had clearly indicated Kim Jong-un will follow his father’s teachings in its editorial earlier on Thursday.

By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)