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Apr 24, 2014 · There's a newly released batch of photographs of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a series of site visits. The dozens of photos all have one curious detail in common - the leader is...
Dec 16, 2021 · On the 10th anniversary of his rule, Kim Jong-un is in charge of a country in crisis. He has dozens of new nuclear weapons but his people are still going hungry. A huge poster was put in the ...
- Consolidating Power
- A Dangerous Family
- Violent Reshuffles
North Korea’s political system gives absolute power to the leader, which is both a strength and a vulnerability. Kim Jong-un, who came to power in 2011 shortly after the death of his father Kim Jong-il, has had to constantly struggle to prevent the emergence of alternative centres of power. Unlike his father, Kim had only a short time to prepare fo...
These purges continued to create a climate of fear in Pyongyang. In 2012, the vice minister of the army, Kim Chol, was executed“for reportedly drinking and carousing during the official mourning period after Kim Jong-il’s death”. A similar fate befell Ri Yong-ho, one of senior team which had guided Kim Jong-un as he was preparing for leadership and...
These fairly regular purges of North Korea’s elite are partly to fend off alleged coup plots, but studies of Pyongyang’s leadership show that they are also a key mechanism to maintain control over the bureaucracy, a system also effectively used by Kim Jong-il. In an absolute dictatorship, it is an important mechanism to inoculate the leadership fro...
- Christoph Bluth
Jan 8, 2024 · As Kim Jong Un marks what is believed to be his 40th birthday, the North Korean leader can reflect on over a decade in power in which he has consolidated his regime at home and won important...
- The Week UK
Jun 17, 2020 · The Kim family, specifically Supreme Leaders Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un, has ruled North Korea since 1948. Current leader Kim Jong-un has consolidated his power, purging many...
- Eleanor Albert
Dec 16, 2021 · Kim Jong-un himself has described it as a "great crisis" and even shed tears in a speech. Unprecedented for a North Korean leader.
Apr 28, 2020 · There are three Kims who could potentially be involved in the political make-up of North Korea if Kim Jong-un were to disappear. They all face limitations in carrying on family rule.
