서구 사회에서는 외교와 안보 분야의 싱크탱크들이 특정 국가나 세계에 대한 연감을 발간해오고 있는데 비해 그동안 우리나라에서는 주로 통신사나 언론사에서 북한에 대한 연감을 발간해왔다. 그리고 일부 정부기관에서도 북한 연감과 같은 유형의 책자를 발간하고 있지만 비공개로 분류해 정부 내에서만 공유하고 있어 전문가들이나 언론인들의 활용이나 접근이 매우 제한되어 있는 실정이다.
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이번에 세종연구소가 발간한 『2019 북한 동향과 분석』은 통일․외교․안보 분야의 대표적인 민간 싱크탱크인 세종연구소가 학계의 북한 전문가들과 공동으로 만든 연구 성과라는 점에서 그동안 언론사나 정부기관들이 발간해온 북한 연감들과 차별화된다. 그리고 이 책자의 내용이 연구소 홈페이지를 통해 전부 공개됨으로써 학계와 싱크탱크의 전문가들, 정부의 통일․외교․안보 분야 관계자들 그리고 언론인들이 모두 쉽게 참고할 수 있게 되었다는 점에서 기존의 북한 연감들과 명확하게 차별화된다.
 
​​『2019 북한 동향과 분석』 집필에는 북한의 정치, 경제, 사회문화, 대외․대남 정책, 군사 분야 전문가들이 참여했다. 이들이 약 1년간의 지속적인 공동 연구와 수많은 회의 및 토론을 통해 만든 전문적인 결과인 것이다.  
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이 책자는 팩트 정리 위주의 기존 북한 연감과는 다르게 2019년 북한의 핵심 이슈들을 분야별로 심층 분석하는데 많은 부분을 할애했다. 예를 들어 작년에 북한이 두 차례나 개정한 헌법 조문에 대해서는 2016년 개정 헌법의 조문과 조목조목 구체적으로 비교함으로써 김정은 정권이 지향하는 정책 변화 방향을 분명하게 제시했다. 베일에 싸여 있는 북한 경제의 현황에 대해서는 2명의 북한경제 전문가가 매우 심층적으로 분석했다. 특히 대북 제재 속 북한의 환율과 식량가격 추이, 안정세 등을 체계적으로 분석함으로써 대북 제재의 효과에 대해 냉정하고 객관적으로 평가하기 위한 근거들을 제시했다. 그리고 북한 내부에서의 판매 경쟁과 기술혁신이 어떻게 이루어지고 있는지 로동신문 등 북한의 1차 자료들을 치밀하게 분석하고 다양한 사진들을 통해 일반인들도 이해하기 쉽게 제시했다. 또한 2019년 김정은 위원장의 정상외교와 대남 입장 변화에 대해서도 심층 분석했다.
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이 책자에는 2019년 북한의 대내외 정책 방향을 정확하게 파악하는데 도움이 될 주요 원문들도 수록되었다. 김정은 위원장의 신년사와 최고인민회의 시정연설, 선전선동의 새로운 방향을 제시한 서한, 당중앙위원회 제7기 제5차 전원회의 보고에 대한 북한 보도 내용 그리고 2019년 북한의 대미, 대남 입장을 파악하기 반드시 분석해야 할 북한의 주요 기관, 인사, 매체의 대미․대남 입장 관련 자료들이 그것이다.
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이 책자는 세종연구소가 통일부의 용역사업 (’19년도 북한정보분석 데이터기반 개발사업)에 응철하여 작성한 것으로, 수록된 내용은 연구 참여자의 개인적인 견해이며 통일부 및 세종연구소의 공식적인 의견이 아님을 밝힌다.

Ⅰ. 2019년 북한 동향 ···································································· 1
1. 개관 ··································································································2
2. 분야별 동향 ····················································································4
< 1 > 정치 ··································································································································5
< 2 > 경제 ··································································································································7
< 3 > 사회문화 ··························································································································9
< 4 > 남북관계 ························································································································11
< 5 > 북한의 비핵화 협상 및 대외관계 ············································································13
< 6 > 군사 ································································································································15 3. 김정은 위원장 공개활동 및 주요 발언 ··································18
< 1 > 개요 및 특징 ················································································································19
< 2 > 주요 발언 ······················································································································21
< 3 > 김정은 위원장 동향 일지(표) ···················································································25
Ⅱ. 분야별 이슈 분석 ·································································· 31
1. 정치 분야 ······················································································32
< 1 > 김정은 위원장의 2019년 신년사 분석 ···································································33
< 2 > 최고인민회의 제14기 제1차 회의에서의 김정은 위원장 시정연설 분석 ·······41
< 3 > 2019년 북한 개정 헌법 분석 ···················································································45
< 4 > 최고인민회의 제14기 대의원 선거 분석 ································································58
< 5 > 2019년 북한 파워 엘리트 변동 분석 ·····································································63
2. 경제 분야 ·······················································································74
< 1 > 대북제재 지속과 환율 추이 ······················································································75
< 2 > 봄 가뭄과 식량가격 추이 ··························································································78
< 3 > 전시회/전람회를 통한 판매 경쟁 및 기술혁신 장려 ··········································81
< 4 > 첨단기술 강조와 개발 현황 ······················································································84
< 5 > 관광산업 중점 육성과 관광지구 개발 ····································································89
< 6 > 대북제재와 북중무역 ··································································································95
< 7 > 군수산업의 민수경제 지원 ························································································99
< 8 > 대북경제제재와 국산화정책 ····················································································103
< 9 > 포전담당책임제와 농업 부문 개혁 ········································································106
<10 > ‘수자화’와 ‘수자경제’(디지털경제) ·····························································111 3. 사회ㆍ문화 분야 ········································································116
< 1 > 가요 ‘우리의 국기’로 본 국가 상징 재정립 ··················································117
< 2 > 북중 정상급 문화외교 ······························································································119
< 3 > 우리 국가제일주의의 등장과 의미 ········································································121
< 4 > 대집단체조와 예술공연 ‘불패의 사회주의’ ····················································125
< 5 > 선전선동 사업의 혁신과 참신 ················································································127
< 6 > 교육사업의 변화 ········································································································130
< 7 > 친환경 사업 강조 동향 ····························································································134
< 8 > 준법기풍 강조 속 사회통제 강화 ··········································································138
< 9 > 무형문화 유산 보존 정책의 확대, 강화 ······························································141 4. 대외ㆍ대남 분야 ········································································144
< 1 > 김정은 위원장 방중 및 북중 정상회담 ································································145
< 2 > 2차 북미 정상회담(베트남 하노이) 개최와 결렬 ···············································148
< 3 > 김정은 위원장 방러 및 북러 정상회담 ································································152
< 4 > 시진핑 주석 북한 방문 및 북중 정상회담 ··························································155
< 5 > 판문점 북미 정상회동 및 남북미 정상회동 ························································160
< 6 > 남북관계 교착 ············································································································164
< 7 > 북중 간 교류 ··············································································································167
< 8 > 금강산의 남측시설 철거 요구 관련 ······································································170
< 9 > 제3차 북미 정상회담의 불발과 북한의 ‘새로운 길’ ····································173 5. 군사 분야 ····················································································179
< 1 > 선군정치 헌법 상 삭제 및 군에 대한 당적 통제 강화 ····································180
< 2 > 제5차 북한군 중대장·중대정치지도원 대회 개최 ············································184
< 3 > 2019년 북한군 장령 진급 인사: 특징과 의미 ····················································186
< 4 > 신형 전술유도무기 시험발사 ··················································································190
< 5 > 북중 군사교류 확대 ··································································································198
< 6 > 대형 잠수함 공개 및 SLBM 시험발사 ··································································202
Ⅲ. 심층 분석: 김정은 시대 북한 경제 정책과 현황 ········· 207

1. 북한 경제의 개혁·개방 정책과 실제 ··································208
< 1 > 김정은 시대 북한 경제발전전략: 과학기술 기반의 경제발전전략 ················209
< 2 > 김정은 시대 경제개혁 ······························································································211
< 3 > 김정은 시대 대외개방 ······························································································220
< 4 > 북한 개혁·개방 추진의 배경과 역사적 계기 ····················································227 2. 북한 경제의 변화 ······································································229
< 1 > 북한 주민생활의 변화 ······························································································230
< 2 > 북한 주민생활의 변화 이유 ····················································································237
Ⅳ. 북한 일지 ·············································································· 243
1. 정치·군사 분야 ········································································244
2. 경제·사회 분야 ········································································264
3. 대외·대남 분야 ········································································312
부록. 2019년 북한의 주요 원문 ·············································· 347
1. 김정은 위원장 연설문과 서한 ················································348
2. 북한의 주요 기관·인사·매체의 대미·대남 입장 관련 자료·386