North Korean House of Cards

Image 21: Unlike his father, Kim Jong-un does not appear to be shy around strangers. Here, he
leads a tour of the renovated Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang
in July 2013. (Source: Nodong Sinmun)
No ruler governs exactly like his predecessor. Age, experience, legitimacy,
and relationships affect a leader’s characteristics and help determine the amount of
power and authority he possesses. But these factors do not completely determine a
leader’s position. In regimes like North Korea, the political culture plays a fundamental
role in how a leader comes to power and is treated by the wider leadership. The
North Korean regime is subservient to a Suryong-based doctrine that is not easily
undone. Regardless of Kim Jong-un’s qualifications, he was chosen by his father, the
Supreme Leader, and is of the Kim bloodline. Unlike his father, he went through the
proper channels to receive his titles of power. In his early thirties, he is the legitimate
ruler, the Supreme Leader.
What Kim Jong-un does not possess is the unquestioned, absolute, and
enduring loyalty of the leadership and the population. Although political culture
may guide the succession, the new leader’s ability to deliver on his policy agenda
affects his ability to consolidate his power. Kim Jong-un is two hereditary transitions
away from Kim Il-sung’s revolutionary credentials. His claim to legitimacy is thus
weaker, and his policy decisions will play a greater role in maintaining legitimacy in
the eyes of the country’s elite.
Ken E. Gause
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