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However, the technology-import strate jy backfired, partly because of a downturn in the world economy but also because oflack of ability and expe- rience in the most advantageous use of the new technology. Failing to repay its debts, the regime became known in international financial circles as a deadbeat. The country's reputation suffered further injury when some of its diplomats in Scandinavian countries were accused of smuggling drugs, in what seems to have been a systematic attempt to raise hard currency. Pyoneyang had botched the first of many attempts to take money and technoloey-but not ideas and values -from the West. In 1972 North Korea adopted a new constitution, which mandated a switch to a presidential system. Kim Il-sung gave up the premiership to take the presidency. Thenceforth, the premiership would be a usefullightning rod for the regime. The incumbent premier could be dismissed nike air max 2011 to take responsibility for any recognized policy failure --even though President Kim continued to dictate the policies. At the end of 1977 Kim reorganized the government, im- plicitly acknowledging the North's Failure to regain the economic lead over the South. While men of military background previously had served as pre- mier, this time he put an economist, Li Jong-ok, into the job. The question was mens black nike air max how much leeway Li and his technocrat cohorts would have. After all, real power continued to be held by President Kim, who had established a politics-first ideology and who kept around him men who had served with him as male nike air max shoes anti-Japanese guerillas.s Despite the problems, Kim stuck stubbornly to -and even intensified- his policy of Stalinist centralism.6 nike air max 2011 men's running shoes Micromanagement from the top had be- come less and less effective with the economy's expansion, but stillit seemed that no detail was too small to concern Kim Il-sung. At a meeting of financial and banking workers in December 1978, he gave an hour-long address that HE GAVE US WATER AND SENT US MACHINES 157 to know, plus fear that we would spread alien knowledge and opinions that might call into question Kim Il-sung's leadership. I was assigned to stay in the Potonggang Hotel. Disappointingly, a large surrounding park planted with willow trees isolated the hotel from the daily life of Pyongyang. I kept asking if I could not just wander around by myself, but my handlers politely forbade it.