Jan 15 2009
The path to succession: Kim Jong Un?
I saw this on One Free Korea, so make sure to take a look at that. I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard the news. Alas, the “excitement” died quickly. When considering the government of the DPRK, it is mired in mystery, and looking into the murky waters can only give shadows to interpret. Several news articles say Kim Jong Il has chosen his youngest son Kim Jong Un as his successor, but like anything else, nothing is confirmed. According to the Times Online:
Rumours of the anointment were greeted with scepticism in some quarters, as were suggestions that the political and military hierarchies had been asked to pass the heir apparent’s name down through their ranks to prepare for a handover. In a nation defined by its opaqueness, the succession issue is perhaps the most closely guarded secret and many observers believe that South Korean intelligence scoops on the subject are liable to be flawed.
I happen to agree. In North Korea, very little is confirmed, and even when it is fact, the facts are further complicated by propaganda, so nobody knows what is fact other than another leader has taken the helm. What else is interesting about this pick is I cannot find anything about this son. Unlike Kim Jong Nam who has been in front of the cameras, this son does not even have a picture to his name. The only thing out there is a sketch and anecdotes.
With that said:
Analysts at the Korea Institute for National Unification said that the critical date to watch was the March 8 parliamentary election: one KINU official said that if Jong Un is suddenly given a seat on the powerful National Defence Commission, it will be a sign that he has begun the process to succeed his father. [...]
It is also interesting to note NKEconWatch posted some changes in the regime’s inner circle. Are purges taking place, and if so, why are others getting shifted or ousted? Something is happening in North Korea, but it does not appear to add up, mainly in the lack of a propaganda campaign. Again, this may not mean a lot because I simply do not know what or why the lack of propaganda. The devil is in the details, and unfortunately, no details are known.
I will watch this like other Pyongyang watchers.
Edit: See DPRK Studies
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2 responses so far
Chosun Daily believes Jang Song-taek is the guy. Maybe Jang is moving his pieces into position in the government. Or, all of them, including Jang are circling the chum of the Dear Leader’s corpse waiting for their moment to take control.
I’m glad to see you’re back! I thought you had departed after I noticed you were not updating!
I am amazed by how little information there is on this Kim Jong un. Come on! He’s attended the International School in Berne Switzerland. Is that too difficult for the journalists to interview his former classmates???? And get some class photos maybe??? I am almost tempted to do the job myself although I am no journalist.