North Korean House of Cards

A. CHAPTER FOUR: HOW THE REGIME OPERATES
Kim Jong-un’s apparatus of power is rooted in a unique political culture.
The North Korean system operates by a set of rules established in the Kim Il-sung
period and adjusted to fit the style of rule under Kim Jong-il. At its heart, this
“Leader” (Suryong)-based system is built around one individual’s ability to make all
of the decisions and command all of the power. This is an apparatus that has evolved
over the decades. Through his first two years in power and well into his third, Kim
Jong-un is growing into the role of Supreme Leader. He did not have the twenty years
his father had to shape the regime to follow his lead. Kim Jong-un relied on the
regent structure to educate him in manipulating the levers of power and building
the relationships necessary for him to rule. Now that the regent structure has
been dismantled, Kim must rely on the Supreme Leader apparatus to inform his
decision-making and build and sustain the relationships he will need to govern on his
own. The contours of this apparatus have changed to suit the Supreme Leader’s
leadership style.
This chapter outlines the theoretical construct of the Suryong system and
examines Kim Jong-un’s leadership style. The theory of whether other individuals
or entities could seize the mantle of leadership will be examined, as well as Kim’s
evolving decision-making process. This will lay the foundation for the discussion in
the following chapters of Kim Jong-un’s apparatus.
1. The Suryong System
One of the most peculiar features of the North Korean system is the
supreme authority of the “Leader” (Suryong) in every domain, including ideology,
law, administration, and regulations. 253 For this reason, the North Korean political
system is often called a “Leader-dominant system” (Suryong-je) or a “Monolithic
system” (Yu-il che-je). 254 In 1949, Kim Il-sung designated himself Suryong and began
a campaign to eliminate all resistance to his position as the unchallenged leader of
the nation. He started to construct the ideological foundation to support his status
253 This section of the paper draws from the author’s previous work. See Ken E. Gause, “North
Korea’s Political System in the Transition Era: The Role and Influence of the Party Apparatus,” in Scott
Snyder and Kyung-Ae Park, eds., North Korea in Transition (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012).
254 Cheong Seong-Chang, “Stalinism and Kimilsungism: A Comparative Analysis of Ideology
and Power,” Asian Perspective 24, no. 1 (2000). It is important to note that the title “Leader” (Suryong) is
reserved for Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-il never adopted this title. In this paper, the word “Suryong” is used to
denote the system within which Kim Jong-il operated and Kim Jong-un now operates.
Ken E. Gause
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