Kim Jong-un: New Threats?

Maria Andreivna,

Correspondent (Asia Far East)

 

PYONGYANG — On December 13, the KCNA (North Korea Central News Agency) announced that Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Chang Song-thaek, had been executed.

Chang Song-thaek is known to have secured the transition of power to Kim Jong-un and guided the young leader. However, following the execution, the KCNA has accused him of factionalism and of organising a coup. Many North Koreans on the other hand, see him as a scapegoat for the government’s economic failures.

It isn’t often that this secretive country, walled off from the world, opens a window into its mystery land. The media has previously been silent regarding the numerous replacements of government officials. South Korea estimates that about half of North Korea’s top officials have been replaced since Kim Jong-un became leader.

So why has North Korean media so actively publicised the execution of a man previously thought to be imperturbable?

The act could be a sign either of Kim Jong-un establishing his leadership, or the very opposite. It could be the ruthless actions of an insecure leader trying to get a hold of the reigns of a very unstable country. Experts on North Korea are divided, and an air of anxiety hangs over the rest of the world as it wonders what will happen next.

US Secretary, John Kerry commented that the decision to execute Chang Song-thaek uncovered Kim Jong-un’s insecurity, as well as the instability of North Korea as a whole.

The implications are uncertain but it seems that Kim Jong-un is using threat to encourage loyalty and firmer unity within the country. At the same time the act could be a warning to the world that Kim Jong-un is a leader different to his forerunners.

There has also been a purge of the state news archive. Articles have disappeared from the official websites of the KCNA and Rodong Sinmun – roughly 99% of articles are missing. The digital archive now only goes back as far as October 2013, with a couple of exceptions where the articles are concerning Kim Jong-un.

It is hard to know what to expect. The possibility of further purges looms. North Korea could be about to forge a more felt presence in the world. South Korea is concerned about the probability of new nuclear tests and provocations. The north’s only ally, China, is also worried of the possibilities of an impending chaos.

With the anniversary of Kim Jung-il’s death on December 17, the government will be hoping to put its people in a more trusting mood. Meanwhile North Korean propaganda will ensure that the government will retain the image of a god-like father, guarding its citizens from the threats posed by outside capitalist regimes.

What will happen in the future is a mystery, but the choice to open its shutters to the world on this occasion is an unprecedented one – only time will show the implications.