N. Korea's reform efforts only meager: gov't

Any efforts by North Korea to reform its moribund economy would continue to remain stymied as the country is unlikely to make any real changes that could pose threats to its communist system, a South Korean government report said Wednesday.

The 2013 report on North Korea, published by South Korea's Unification Ministry, said the Kim Jong-un regime's attitude toward reforms and opening its doors to the world is negative.

Any future reform drive by the reclusive country may not exceed in scale the previous economic reformation efforts it took in 2002 because of apparent concerns about potential risks to its regime, according to the report.

The North's 2002 market-oriented reform drive ended in failure due to rising inflation, forcing the country to push another reform plan last year in a bid to prop up its economy.

The commercial infrastructure in the North is now in bad shape, the report said, adding that the country may need an inflow of foreign capital in order to break out of poverty.

As part of its reform measures, the North may need to utilize any advantage it may have in the highly competitive international markets or  open up to the outside world, it said.

However, North Korea would continue to remain unreformed down the road as it is unlikely to learn from the outside world, the report said.

The report also cited revision of economic systems, diminishing its reliance on China and revitalizing citizens' livelihoods as some of the most urgent tasks the country has to deal with.