It’s been a year since Kim Jong-un rose to the post of North Korea’s top leader. Kim was named the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army on December 30th in 2011, 13 days after his father and former leader Kim Jong-il died. On April 11th this year, the younger Kim became the First Secretary of the Workers’ Party, while the late leader was elevated to Eternal General Secretary of the party at the fourth convention of party representatives. Two days later, he was appointed as the First Chairman of the National Defense Commission during the 12th term fifth session of the Supreme People’s Assembly. Some say the Kim Jong-un regime is stabilizing more quickly than expected, but Professor Ryu Gil-jae of the University of North Korean Studies explains that the new regime is just an extension of the previous one.

In a word, there’s nothing new about the Kim Jong-un regime. Despite the emergence of a young leader, the new North Korean regime simply repeats the governing style adopted by former leader Kim Jong-il. Actually, the junior Kim has shown unusual behaviors from time to time, like squatting on the ground to pull up weeds and walking arm in arm with his wife in public. It’s true his behaviors are considered extraordinary or unconventional. The change is only superficial, though. No fundamental change has been perceived so far. The new regime has only focused on maintaining the vested rights of the Kim family and the privileged class. We haven’t seen any meaningful change in the new North Korean regime. It’s nothing but an extension of the old regime.

North Korea’s third-generation power transfer depended on whether the new leader was able to control the military. Kim Jong-un carried out a massive reshuffle in the military leadership, stressing the supremacy of the party. Kim promoted civilian Choe Ryong-hae, one of his closest aides, to Vice Marshal in April, and appointed him as director of the People’s Army General Political Bureau. In July, Kim dismissed People’s Army Chief of General Staff Ri Yong-ho, a key military figure. Also, six out of 9 corps commanders were replaced, and profit-making projects led by the military, including those aimed at earning foreign currency, have been transferred to the Cabinet. Naturally, the power of the military has weakened. Also notably, Kim’s aunt Kim Kyong-hui and her husband Jang Song-thaek gave full support to the new leader in the process of the power transition.

Former leader Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke in 2008. It is assumed that he had been working on a power transfer to his son Kim Jong-un since 2009. So, the personnel reshuffles since 2009 were mostly aimed at the prospective Kim Jong-un regime. After Kim Jong-il died, those who actually exercised power or decided on major policies as the guardians of the new leader, including Choe Ryong-hae, Jang Song-thaek and Kim Kyong-hui, may have felt the need for a major shakeup for a more stable regime. That led to the purge of Ri Yong-ho and replacements of a number of Cabinet members. In a sense, North Korea is viewed as a dynastic country. When a new king rises to the throne, the existing order is maintained for some time, but the new king eventually selects people he wants in order to proclaim the arrival of a new era. The recent personnel reshuffles in North Korea can be understood in this context.

Kim Jong-un has focused his efforts on promoting his image as a leader who is friendly toward people. He accompanied his wife Ri Sol-ju at inspection tours, and was eager to hold hands with soldiers, children and citizens, even walking arm in arm with them. He also projected the image of his grandfather and the country’s founder Kim Il-sung by cutting his hair short and wearing clothes reminiscent of the late leader. In other words, he tried to differentiate himself from his father Kim Jong-il.

Kim Jong-un seems to be imitating his grandfather Kim Il-sung in various aspects, including the appearance, rather than his father Kim Jong-il, as North Korean people miss the good old days under the Kim Il-sung regime. That is, a sort of nostalgia for the late Kim is still present in the nation. Even in the Kim Il-sung era, however, the former leader never revealed his wife to the public, much less walked arm-in-arm with her. Kim Song-ae, the second wife of Kim Il-sung, worked as chairwoman of the Korean Democratic Women’s Union. Still, she was different from current First Lady Ri Sol-ju, who has frequently made her appearances in public.

So then, how has the North Korean economy changed under the Kim Jong-un regime? During a speech marking the 100th birthday of the late founder Kim Il-sung on April 15th, Kim Jong-un promised not to make his people tighten their belts. He reportedly pushed for the so-called “June 28th economic reform measures” that include greater autonomy in management for state corporations and collective farms. It is said that the reform measures are being carried out in some regions on a trial basis. Despite the signs of a change, however, most experts agree that the North Korean economy is deteriorating further.

It appears that the North Korean economy has, in effect, almost collapsed. Normally, factories and companies manufacture goods, which are consumed by people. This leads to reinvestment and the production of goods. But this circle of operating the economy has been broken in North Korea. Food and consumer goods North Korean citizens actually use are mostly imported from China. Also, the June 28th economic reforms haven’t been implemented yet, although the authorities had initially said the reform measures would be executed in October. So, it would be fair to say there is no change in the North Korean economy.

North Korea built the basis of a new regime rapidly during the past year. Some experts point out that the hastily-built new leadership is still unstable and there are a number of risk factors inside the nation. In an apparent move to strengthen his grip on power based on strong security, Kim Jong-un has visited the State Security Department twice since October to order a random crackdown on “impure elements.” Experts say this reflects a sense of crisis escalating within the nation. They also cite this internal situation as the major reason North Korea defied international concerns and pushed ahead with a long-range rocket launch on December 12th. The successful rocket launch helped demonstrate the leadership and charisma of the young North Korean leader, who had shown no substantial outcomes before. But the prospects aren’t very bright, since the international community is getting even tougher on Pyongyang.

It doesn’t seem easy for the new regime to lead the country solely based on the wishes left by the deceased leader. Worst of all, the economic conditions are extremely poor. Obviously, there are limitations as to how long the impoverished country can depend on outside assistance for its economy. When the limitations reach a certain level, an internal crisis could endanger the maintenance of the regime itself. North Korea must seek ways to operate the economy by producing something internally. To this end, it should resolve the nuclear issue and improve inter-Korean relations. But the reclusive country is unlikely to make its first move toward that goal. The future of the current North Korean regime seems quite unstable and bleak. That is why South Korea or the international community needs to come up with proper measures to create fresh momentum for proposing dialogue preemptively and drawing North Korea to the negotiation table.

North Korea has been pretty busy throughout the year stabilizing Kim’s fledgling regime through the quick, unusual process. It remains to be seen how the Kim Jong-un regime will evolve and whether it will move toward reform and openness.


[Interview] English Speaking Contest for Young N.K. Defectors
An English speaking contest was held on December 8 at the hall of the Wooyang Foundation, located at Seogyo-dong, western Seoul. The participants looked a little bit nervous, but they expressed their ideas and experience in clear English. According to Park Young-cheol at the foundation, the event is designed to assist North Korean newcomers in their English studies, with the help of a local English education institute.

Newcomers from North Korea find it challenging to learn English because they didn’t receive English education in their home country. Also, it costs a lot to attend a private institute here to learn the language. We were wondering how to help them ease the difficulty, and we signed a memorandum of understanding with Pagoda Academy, which is a language institute. We needed to assess the level of North Korean students, so we decided to hold a small-scale English speaking contest.

Now in its second year, the English speaking contest for young North Korean defectors was initially held in the form of an English essay contest. Initially, the students were allowed to present their English essays using both Korean and English, since it was difficult to gauge the students’ English ability at first. It turned out their level was higher than expected. So, this year, the competition was changed to an English speaking contest in which participants express their ideas solely in English. Applications both in Korean and English were screened throughout November and five final candidates were selected. They chose their own topics for the competition.

…I shared my success story in landing a job. I’m the first North Korean defector to become a flight attendant. Actually, I was a little worried that interviewers might find my background as a North Korean expatriate rather strange. But I had the courage to apply for the job and I made it. I hoped to share the difficulty I had experienced, and that’s why I participated in this competition.

….Today, I expressed my opinion and experience about giving something back to society. I also talked about my future plans on this matter.

After all the five candidates finished their presentations, the awarding ceremony took place. Judges said they were very surprised at the great English skills of the contenders, who made their presentations so naturally, not simply focusing on speaking English. Through this contest, the young North Koreans saw their new potential and regained confidence.

…While preparing for the competition, I was able to improve my English skills, including vocabulary and grammar, and learned the proper attitude required for presentation. My dream is to set up a non-governmental organization. To realize it, I need to build an extensive network encompassing various groups and individuals. Language skills are very important in the process. I’ll sharpen my English skills so I can make negotiations successful, when necessary.

…I think this is a rare opportunity even for South Korean students. I’ll have to go through various interviews when I get a job or continue studying, and I need to take the edge off my tension during the interviews. In this sense, the competition was a very good experience for me. I’m thinking of going to graduate school—a law school, to be more specific. I hope to use my expertise to help my fellow North Korean expatriates solve their problems on their own.


In cooperation with Pagoda Education Group, the Wooyang Scholarship Foundation provides 100 North Korean people with 70 percent of their language institute fees each month. Hopefully, the foundation will continue to put the spirit of sharing into practice in various ways so young North Koreans, the relatively vulnerable group in education, will have more opportunities to learn English and resettle in South Korean confidently.