Becoming Kim Jong Un

1. The Kim Dynasty's Power is Forged in Guerrilla Warfare and Cult of Personality

The cult of Kim Il Sung was not a natural phenomenon, however; it took decades of careful indoctrination.

Foundational myths. The Kim dynasty's legitimacy is deeply rooted in the anti-Japanese guerrilla struggle led by Kim Il Sung, a narrative amplified and mythologized over decades to create a powerful personality cult. This cult portrays the Kims as divine protectors and the sole source of national identity and prosperity.

• Kim Il Sung's anti-Japanese fight in Manchuria became the central heroic narrative.
• The regime systematically indoctrinated the populace through education, art, and monuments.
• Kim Il Sung was elevated to "Eternal President" and "Father of the Nation."

Paternalistic state. This cult fostered a paternalistic state where the leader's authority is absolute, demanding unquestioning loyalty in exchange for perceived benevolence and protection. This familial model of governance became the bedrock of the regime's control.

• Citizens are categorized by loyalty ("songbun") dictating life opportunities.
• Education focuses on reverence for the Kims and demonization of enemies.
• The state controls all aspects of life, subsuming individual desires to the collective.

Legacy of violence. Kim Il Sung's experience in brutal conflict and his subsequent consolidation of power through purges and violence established a legacy where coercion and fear are inherent tools of governance. This history of struggle and repression is continuously invoked to justify the regime's actions and maintain control.

2. Kim Jong Il Secured Succession Through Ruthless Control and Nuclear Ambition

Jong Il sought to use all the tools of repression to solidify his primacy in the succession struggle.

Apprenticeship in power. Kim Jong Il spent decades being groomed for leadership, mastering the regime's internal mechanisms of control and propaganda under his father's tutelage. He lacked Kim Il Sung's charisma but compensated with political savvy and ruthlessness.

• He rose through the party ranks, controlling personnel appointments.
• He exiled or purged rivals, including family members.
• He vastly expanded the personality cult, focusing on his own divine birth and exploits.

Military-first policy. Facing economic decline and the collapse of the Soviet bloc, Kim Jong Il prioritized the military ("songun") to ensure regime survival and project strength. This policy justified diverting scarce resources to defense and laid the groundwork for nuclear weapons development.

• Military buildup continued despite economic hardship.
• Terrorist acts and provocations were used to test boundaries and gain leverage.
• The military became a key pillar of the regime's power structure.

Nuclear pursuit. Kim Jong Il inherited his father's interest in nuclear weapons and relentlessly pursued the program, seeing it as the ultimate guarantee of security and international relevance. He used cycles of provocation and diplomacy to buy time and extract concessions while advancing capabilities.

• The 1994 Agreed Framework slowed but did not stop the program.
• North Korea withdrew from the NPT and conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.
• Nuclear weapons became central to North Korea's identity and foreign policy.

3. Kim Jong Un's Privileged Upbringing Contrasts with National Suffering

It must have been jarring to finally move back to Pyongyang after living in a small, multinational town in Switzerland and jet-setting from the Alps to the Riviera.

Isolated luxury. While average North Koreans endured famine and severe hardship in the 1990s, Kim Jong Un and his siblings lived lives of extreme privilege, shielded from the country's realities in lavish villas and through education abroad. This created a stark disconnect between the leader and his people.

• Kim lived in mansions with servants, toys, and amenities.
• He attended expensive schools in Switzerland under a pseudonym.
• Family vacations included skiing in the Alps and visiting Disneyland.

Limited exposure. Despite years in Europe, Kim's exposure to the outside world was curated and limited, focused on leisure and technology rather than democratic values or economic systems. His understanding of North Korea's problems was likely superficial.

• He reportedly admired China and Japan's economic success.
• He questioned the lack of goods in North Korean stores.
• His education included human rights and democracy, but his upbringing reinforced authoritarianism.

Entitlement and destiny. Raised with generals bowing to him and surrounded by sycophants, Kim developed a profound sense of entitlement and belief in his inherent right to rule. This early indoctrination shaped his confidence and expectations for absolute power.

• He was reportedly designated as successor from a young age.
• His mother actively sought to position him for leadership.
• He inherited a system designed to place him at the pinnacle of society.

4. Consolidating Power Through Brutal Purges and Fear

Even by the standards of North Korean brutality, it was unprecedented that a family member would be treated in this way.

Eliminating rivals. Upon taking power, Kim Jong Un moved swiftly and brutally to consolidate his authority, purging and executing senior officials, including his powerful uncle Jang Song Thaek. This demonstrated his ruthlessness and sent a clear message that no challenge to his supreme leadership would be tolerated.

• Jang Song Thaek, once seen as a regent, was publicly executed in 2013.
• Other senior military and party officials were purged or demoted.
• Purges targeted those loyal to his father or perceived as potential threats.

Rule by terror. Kim intensified the regime's reliance on fear and repression, using spectacular acts of violence and public humiliation to maintain control over the elite and the general population. This reinforced the idea that loyalty to Kim was paramount for survival.

• Execution methods were often gruesome and public.
• Surveillance networks were strengthened at all levels of society.
• Dissent, real or perceived, resulted in severe punishment, including for families.

Reshaping the elite. Purges allowed Kim to replace older officials with younger loyalists beholden to him, injecting fresh blood into the system and preventing the formation of entrenched power bases independent of his control. This solidified his personal network of support.

• Average age of the inner circle decreased significantly.
• Younger officials, often children of the founding generation, were promoted.
• Loyalty and personal connection to Kim became key to advancement.

5. Nuclear Weapons as the Cornerstone of Regime Survival and Legitimacy

For Kim Jong Un, possession of nuclear weapons was more than just national strategy.

Ultimate deterrent. Kim views nuclear weapons as the essential guarantee of regime survival against perceived external threats, particularly from the United States. This belief is deeply ingrained in the dynasty's history and reinforced by events like the fates of leaders who gave up WMD programs.

• Kim accelerated nuclear and missile tests upon taking power.
• He codified North Korea's status as a nuclear state in the constitution.
• The program is framed as purely defensive against U.S. hostility.

Source of status. Nuclear weapons provide North Korea, an isolated and impoverished state, with strategic relevance and prestige on the international stage. They elevate Kim's standing and allow him to demand attention from global powers.

• Successful tests are celebrated as national triumphs.
• The program is linked to national pride and modernity.
• Nuclear status provides leverage in foreign relations.

Personal legacy. Kim has personally identified with the nuclear program, linking its success to his leadership and the future of the Kim dynasty. Abandoning it would undermine his legitimacy and betray his grandfather's and father's efforts.

• Kim is often pictured overseeing tests and visiting facilities.
• Propaganda attributes the program's completion to his genius.
• The program is presented as vital for both security and economic prosperity ("byungjin").

6. Cyber Capabilities as a Modern Tool for Coercion and Revenue

The Sony attack demonstrated the twenty-first-century capability of a twenty-first-century millennial dictator who also happens to be thin-skinned.

Asymmetric advantage. Recognizing the low cost and deniability of cyber operations, Kim has heavily invested in developing North Korea's cyber capabilities as a key asymmetric tool. This allows the regime to project power and conduct malicious activities globally.

• Kim reportedly sees cyber as an "all-purpose sword."
• Thousands of hackers are deployed internationally.
• Training programs for cyber warfare are prioritized.

Espionage and disruption. North Korean hackers target foreign governments, military networks, and media organizations for intelligence gathering and disruption. These attacks serve strategic and political goals, often linked to perceived slights or threats.

• Attacks against South Korean banks and military networks are frequent.
• The Sony Pictures hack was a response to a satirical movie.
• Cyber operations are used to sow fear and confusion.

Revenue generation. Increasingly, North Korean cyber activities are aimed at generating hard currency for the regime, circumventing international sanctions. This includes sophisticated attacks on financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges.

• The Bangladesh Bank heist stole $81 million.
• Attacks target banks and exchanges in multiple countries.
• Cyber theft provides billions in revenue for the state.

7. Marketization and Information Penetration Challenge Regime Control

The inability of the government to feed its people and the all too real imminence of death by starvation gave birth to market activities, even though, being antithetical to Communism, they were technically illegal.

Emergence of markets. The collapse of the state distribution system during the 1990s famine forced North Koreans to rely on informal markets ("jangmadang") for survival. This led to the growth of private economic activity, tolerated and later partially legalized by the regime.

• People engaged in smuggling, trading, and small businesses.
• The "donju" (masters of money) class emerged from market activities.
• Markets are now a significant source of income for many North Koreans.

Information seepage. Market activity and increased contact with the outside world (especially China and South Korea) have led to greater information penetration, exposing North Koreans to foreign media and challenging state propaganda.

• DVDs and USBs with foreign content are smuggled in.
• Mobile phones, though on a controlled network, increase connectivity.
• People are exposed to the wealth and lifestyles of other countries.

Regime adaptation. Kim Jong Un has attempted to manage these changes by promoting a consumer culture, building modern amenities, and creating a controlled digital environment. However, the growing market economy and access to outside information pose long-term risks to the regime's ideological control.

• "Pyonghattan" and leisure facilities are showcased.
• Domestic products and Ri Sol Ju are promoted as aspirational.
• The state intranet ("Kwangmyong") limits access to outside information.

8. Kim Jong Un's Pivot to Diplomacy: A Strategic Tactic, Not a Change of Heart

Kim’s shedding of his isolation “drowned out” the warlike rhetoric coming from Washington.

Easing pressure. Kim's abrupt shift to diplomacy in 2018, following a year of heightened tensions and missile tests, was a calculated move to ease international sanctions and undermine the "maximum pressure" campaign. This tactic is consistent with the Kim dynasty's historical playbook.

• Kim offered participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
• He initiated summits with South Korea and China.
• He announced a moratorium on nuclear and ICBM tests.

Dividing adversaries. By engaging bilaterally with South Korea, China, and the United States, Kim sought to exploit existing differences and drive wedges between them, particularly between Washington and Seoul. This aimed to weaken allied coordination against North Korea.

• He appealed to South Korea's desire for peace and inter-Korean unity.
• He sought to mend ties with China and secure its support against sanctions.
• He aimed to engage the U.S. president directly, bypassing working-level negotiations.

Normalizing status. The high-profile summits, especially with a sitting U.S. president, elevated Kim's international standing and normalized North Korea's status as a nuclear power. This achieved a key strategic goal without requiring significant concessions on denuclearization.

• Kim was portrayed as a statesman on the global stage.
• Summits provided valuable propaganda opportunities domestically.
• The focus shifted from denuclearization to peace and economic potential.

9. The Trump-Kim Summits: Theater Over Substance

As the world sat transfixed before their televisions and commented on social media as pundits analyzed every gesture and utterance of the two main players and their supporting casts.

Unprecedented spectacle. The meetings between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un were historic events, marked by high drama, media spectacle, and a focus on personal chemistry over detailed negotiation. This reflected the unconventional styles of both leaders.

• The Singapore summit was the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
• Trump and Kim engaged in public displays of camaraderie.
• The events were heavily televised and analyzed globally.

Trump's approach. President Trump approached the summits with confidence in his deal-making abilities and a focus on personal rapport, often disregarding traditional diplomatic preparation and expert advice. He appeared to mirror-image Kim, seeing him as a businessman interested in economic gain.

• Trump expressed admiration for Kim's leadership.
• He downplayed the urgency of denuclearization.
• He offered economic incentives and questioned U.S. alliances.

Limited outcomes. Despite the fanfare, the summits produced vague agreements with little concrete progress on verifiable denuclearization. Kim secured significant political gains while making only symbolic or reversible concessions.

• The Singapore communiqué was aspirational, not specific.
• Kim agreed to suspend tests and dismantle some sites, but continued developing capabilities.
• Sanctions relief, Kim's priority, was not achieved at the Hanoi summit.

10. Kim's Goals: Survival, Status, and Control, Not Denuclearization

Kim Jong Un sees the possession of nuclear weapons as vital to achieving the development of North Korea’s economy and cementing his country’s strategic relevance and autonomy.

Nuclear commitment. Kim views nuclear weapons as non-negotiable, essential for regime survival, national dignity, and his personal legacy. The program is deeply embedded in North Korea's identity and strategic calculus.

• Kim declared the "completion" of the nuclear force.
• The regime consistently refuses "unilateral disarmament."
• Nuclear weapons are linked to peace and prosperity in propaganda.

Maintaining control. Kim's primary focus is on preserving the Kim dynasty's absolute control, which requires suppressing dissent and limiting outside influence. Economic reforms and integration are pursued cautiously to avoid undermining this control.

• Repression and surveillance infrastructure are maintained and strengthened.
• Information flows are tightly controlled through a state intranet.
• Market activities are tolerated but managed to benefit the regime and elite.

Strategic leverage. Kim uses his nuclear status and calibrated provocations/diplomacy to gain leverage, weaken alliances hostile to North Korea, and ensure autonomy from major powers like China. His actions are rational, aimed at maximizing his position.

• He exploits differences between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.
• He seeks support from China and Russia against sanctions.
• His goal is acceptance as a nuclear state, not denuclearization for economic aid.

Last updated: May 2, 2025