North Korean House of Cards

IV. ABOUT THIS STUDY
There are numerous questions surrounding the regime of Kim Jong-un. Does
he have a desire to take the country in a new direction, or will he follow in his father’s
footsteps? Is Kim Jong-un in control, or is he being manipulated from behind the
scenes? Did his proclamation about the people “no longer hav[ing] to tighten their
belts” really mean anything, or will “Military First” (Songun) continue to be the
central organizing concept around which resources are distributed? Are the stories
of widespread purges nothing more than rumors or indications of serious challenges
inside the regime?
Coercion, indoctrination, information control, and a highly centralized
leadership system, which cannot function without a member of the Kim family
ruling at its apex, have kept three successive generations of the Kim family in power.
From the outside world’s perspective, nothing seems to have changed. Many of the
human rights problems in North Korea under Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il persist
under Kim Jong-un. In fact, Kim Jong-un’s actions suggest a leadership style that is
much more overtly brutal than that of his father, characterized by public purges,
the likes of which have not been seen since Kim Il-sung’s consolidation of power in
the 1950s and 1960s. This begs the question: why? Is it a necessary evil of the power
consolidation process? Is it particular to Kim Jong-un’s personality and leadership
style? Will it become a characteristic of the Kim Jong-un regime or is it a stage that
will pass as the new leader matures into his position?
This study focuses on the tensions that Kim Jong-un is facing within the
regime. In particular, it examines three narratives: 1) Kim Jong-un’s attempts to
consolidate power; 2) the regime’s increasing desperation to secure hard currency;
and 3) an evolving internal security apparatus dedicated to ensuring stability. In many
ways, these narratives overlap and influence each other. The fall of Jang Song-taek is at
the intersection of these three narratives.
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
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