Opinion | Kim Jong-un’s purges exacerbate climate of fear, tensions in North Korea, peninsula
Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the standing committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, reportedly among the latest to be removed from country’s top hierarchy
Purges are partly to fend off alleged coup plots, but are also a key mechanism to maintain control over the bureaucracy, studies have shown
North Korea celebrated the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People’s Army in February. As it showed off 12 of its massive intercontinental ballistic missile in a military parade, expert Korea-watchers spotted there appear to have been some significant changes in the country’s military and political hierarchy.
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Choe Ryong-hae, the chairman of the standing committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, was reportedly the only member of the politburo presidium not in attendance. But the Workers’ Party of Korea (North Korea’s sole and ruling political party) has reportedly recently replaced five of the 12 officials in the party secretariat and seven of the 17-member politburo. This is according to South Korea’s unification ministry, which exists to promote the reunification of the two countries.
Two officials whose careers are reportedly on the rise are Song Yong-gon (a member of the Worker’s Party central committee and previously the commander of the 9th Corps of the Korean People’s Army) and Choe Kil-ryong, until now commander of the 2nd Army Corps. The pair have been promoted as commanders of the new units for two classes of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The promotions appear to confirm Pyongyang’s focus on long-range missiles which have become a central element in Pyongyang’s nuclear testing regime. In recent months, North Korea has tested two Hwasong-class missiles – intercontinental ballistic missiles with ranges of up to 15,000km (9,300 miles), capable of reaching the continental United States.
The wider context of the reported purges is characterised by rising tension on the Korean peninsula. The Workers’ Party plenum in Pyongyang in December 2022 emphasised a hardline policy towards South Korea, including the possibility of pre-emptive nuclear strikes. South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk-yeol, has indicated that Seoul won’t hesitate to retaliate and could develop its own nuclear capability.
At the same time, the Kim regime is facing severe domestic crises due to its weak economy, exacerbated by the challenges of Covid-19 and harsh international sanctions. Food insecurity in the North was recently described by a US think tank as “at its worst since the country’s famine in the 1990s”.
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North Korea succession speculation deepens as leader Kim attends football match with daughter
North Korea succession speculation deepens as leader Kim attends football match with daughter
Consolidating power
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 for leadership and was (and remains, at 39) quite young in a culture that reveres elders. His first few years were particularly dangerous for him.
