Tag: Kim Jong-un

Tweet of the Day: Fatman at a Sanitary Goods Factory

| July 16, 2015

Why Is Kim Jong-un Purging the Military?

| July 15, 2015

The South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) definitely has the best intelligence within North Korea because they confirmed this two months ago:

Kim Jong Un is an impatient autocrat who single-handedly decided to execute North Korean Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol, according to Seoul’s spy agency on Tuesday.

South Korean lawmakers said National Intelligence chief Lee Byung-ho made the statements at a briefing before the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, Yonhap reported.

Kim also was the executive decision maker behind the undeleted footage of Hyon in the weeks that followed after his disappearance.

According to Seoul’s spy chief, North Korean television continued to run past footage of Hyon under Kim’s orders.

Kim, Lee said, believed the international community could use conspicuous deletions against Pyongyang because the erasure would serve as evidence of Hyon’s execution.

South Korean newspaper Donga Ilbo reported Hyon was executed at the artillery range at Pyongyang’s Kang Kon Military Academy.

Hundreds watched the execution, according to the NIS, and Kim forced top-ranking military officers to attend.

Kim may have executed other military personnel if they were loyal to Hyon or held grievances against Kim, Lee said, according to South Korean lawmaker Shin Kyung-min.

Shin said Kim had labeled Hyon as “anti-Workers’ Party, and a counter-revolutionary.”  [UPI]

You can read the rest at the link, but according to the article Kim Jong-un is trying to weaken the power of the military in North Korea.

Here is what I think it going on.  I have said this before that I do not believe that Kim Jong-un has the absolute power that many people believe him to have.  I believe that his grandfather Kim Il-sung had absolute power, but when his son Kim Jong-il took over that the absolute power was diluted between the ruling Kim inner circle, the Worker’s Party, and the North Korean military.  These three sectors competed for power with the military ultimately becoming the most powerful bureaucracy in North Korea under Kim Jong-il.  These sectors of power in North Korea though likely ruled by consensus and when consensus could not be reached Kim Jong-il was likely the deciding vote which was heavily influenced by his backing of the North Korean military.

After Kim Jong-il’s death these sectors of North Korean power likely competed for influence again after Kim Jong-un took over.  Kim Jong-un’s uncle Jang Song-taek appeared to be trying to challenge the status quo by increasing the power of the Worker’s Party.  With the power of the Worker’s Party increasing, the military may have felt like their power was decreasing too much and took action to get rid of Jang to put the status quo back to where it was.  However, the status quo likely meant Kim Jong-un has less power than his father did after the execution of Jang and the following purge of Party officials loyal to him.

His recent purge of military officials shows that Kim Jong-un understands this and is trying to re-establish absolute power for himself like his grandfather had.  His grandfather had to rely on a number of purges to gain the power he had.  Kim Jong-un first focused on purging the Worker’s Party of people that he perceived as a possible challenge to his authority.  Now he is focusing on the North Korean military.  After the military is purged that leaves Kim and his family inner circle as the biggest power brokers in North Korea.  It is a dangerous game he is playing, but we will see over the years how well it works.

North Korean Badges Now Include Kim Jong-un’s Face

| July 10, 2015

I guess it was only a matter of time, but now North Koreans get to wear another face on their clothes:

North Korea is printing new badges showing leader Kim Jong-un alongside his grandfather and father.

North Korean officials have so far worn badges with the faces of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, but now the personality cult clearly includes the current leader.

A company in Pyongyang’s Pyongchon district is making the badges with the faces of the three Kims on the occasion of the anniversary of the Workers Party on Oct. 10, a source said on Tuesday.

The company is printing the first batch of 3,000 to give out to senior party officials and senior members of the socialist youth league.  [Chosun Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

Tweet of the Day: Airport Security In North Korea

| June 30, 2015

https://twitter.com/pearswick/status/613867812486905857

Tweet of the Day: Fatman Inspects Female Pilots

| June 24, 2015

How Kim Jong-un Is Executing His Way to Idolization

| June 24, 2015

The Daily NK has an interesting read that compares the 1956 August Faction Incident which was the largest conspiracy to topple Kim Il-sung since he rose to power in 1948 with the 2013 Jang Song-taek purge by current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.  The bottom line is that the author believes we will continue to see a lot more killing due to the lack of idolization of Kim Jong-un in North Korea compared to his father and grandfather:  

nk flag

Right now, North Korea is still in the process of beginning to idolize Kim Jong Un. In North Korean power politics, is there a more important element than idolization? The relationship with China and Russia, along with the policies related to industry have all been pushed back and delayed. In a totalitarian dictatorship, the leader’s authority is not guaranteed without idolization firmly in place. To accomplish this, the regime must kill many people. To put it another way, as the regime continues to snatch up important people and examine them, they’ll need to kill more and more. As Kim Jong Un continues to secure his place, we will most likely see a revamp of the North Korean totalitarianism that occurred from 1960-1980.

In all likelihood, about 30-40 years remain. In the road ahead, Kim Jong Un will not likely be able to establish power in the way his father and grandfather did. During the time of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the foundation for their absolute dictatorship was already in place. If Kim Jong Un wishes to command the power and respect that his forebears did, he still has many, many people left to kill.   [Daily NK]

You can read the rest at the link.

Tweet of the Day: Elvis Is Alive In North Korea

| June 13, 2015

Picture of the Day: Fatman Inspects Trees

| June 1, 2015

Kim Jong-un inspects tree nursery

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a tree nursery being constructed by the Korean People’s Army in this composite photo released by the North’s state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on May 29, 2015. The nursery, which covers an area of about 1.98 million square meters, consists of various facilities for nursery tree production. Kim was accompanied by his sister, Kim Yo-jong, who made her first public appearance in 47 days amid rumors of giving birth. (Yonhap)

Picture of the Day: Fatman Unhappy with Terrapin Farm

| May 21, 2015

Kim Jong-un visits terrapin farm

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) speaks during a visit to a terrapin farm, in this photo released by the North’s state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on May 19, 2015. The paper, published by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, did not report when he made the visit and said Kim reproached the farm’s officials for its poor management. (Yonhap)