As usual, North Korea marked the beginning of 2019 with a New Year's Address from Kim Jong Un. However, the style of this year's Address was a departure from those of the past. Kim Jong Un delivered his speech in a Western-style suit, sitting on a sofa, rather than in a military uniform in front of the People's Assembly. Although the style and manner in which the speech was given was unconventional, the content of the speech was not, reiterating North Korea's commitment to furthering the Socialist revolution on the basis of the Byungjin line. Kim Jong Un emphasized the relationship between the US and North Korea more than any speech in the past, which Professor Ha Young Sun of the East Asia Institute analyzes as being due to the improvements in US-NK relations, Inter-Korean relations, and North Korea's diplomatic capacity. However, the task of denuclearization remains a roadblock to substantive improvements in US-North Korea relations, and with the gap between the two countries on their interpretation of what "denuclearization" means, it will not be an easy obstacle to overcome.