Kim Jong-un new leadership style is just a cosmetic change
Kim Jong-un’s recent change in external leadership style presumably aims for the image of “normal state” (Image: KCNA)
During a visit to a modern defense industry factory on July 2, Kim Jong-un behaved in a way that was a departure from the usual practice, which may give outsiders the impression he wants North Korea to be more of a normal state.
What caught the eye was the sight of Kim and his entourage moving around independently, as opposed to the normal spectacle of them all hanging obsequiously onto his every word and gesture.
The plant visit came immediately after an important party meeting. The 10th Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea was held in Pyongyang from June 28 to July 1.
In North Korea, activities attended by members of the Kim family are called Number 1 Events.
During Number 1 Events, a specific piece of music called the Number 1 Event Song is struck up at the start, signaling that everyone present must devotedly focus on the words and actions of the Kim family throughout.
This is but one feature of the meticulous dictatorship the Kims have run for nearly 80 years. However, it is notable that Kim Jong-un broke that mold during this event.
What was it that was unusual? Judging from the KCNA photos, as Kim toured the factory with his aides, some had their backs turned to him and were looking in completely different directions.
It was a small, missable sight for an outsider, but something almost unimaginable for citizens.
“This is truly unexpected,” a resident of Onsong County, North Hamgyong Province, said a few days later. “It’s something we could not imagine. It’s still hard for me to believe that people were standing with their backs to the Supreme Leader while he was speaking.”
Defectors don’t remember anything like this under Kim before, let alone in the days of Kim’s father and grandfather.
“I lived there over 50 years and I never saw anything like this,” said Kim, who escaped to South Korea in 2022. “This was not only unthinkable under Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, but even until today under Kim Jong-un. You could be executed for turning your back on him while he was speaking.”
In theory, it is possible that this was some kind of aberration. For example, perhaps the song hadn’t been played to bring people to attention. But in such a case, whoever at KCNA issued the photos would have been arrested by now and the photos withdrawn. The fact is that they weren’t, which means the scene was approved.
Adding weight to this interpretation is the fact the event was not isolated. There are other changes afoot. For example, there is a shift in regime slogans.
Typically, these are entirely focused on Kim and his family. For example, “Let’s thoroughly arm ourselves with the revolutionary ideology of the great Comrade Kim Jong-un!” That emphasis on Kim is due to the fact that the state and the nation are subordinate to the royal bloodline.
However, recently the main slogan on Korean Central TV has changed to “Let’s unite through patriotism.” This seems to emphasize the importance of the state.
So, is the Kim Jong Un regime genuinely trying to transform North Korea from a dictatorial, slave state into a normal state that pursues the development and prosperity of the nation for the sake of the people?
As attractive as the thought might be, we have to say that the short answer is no. Despite the effort to appear normal, these are superficial displays.
The evidence for our skepticism lies in what else was happening at the same time as the factory visit.
On the heels of the party meeting, there was a mass mobilization of youth nationwide. For instance, in Pyongsong, on July 4, 150 young people from South Pyongan Province were forcibly conscripted into difficult jobs such as mines and farms under the guise of collective pledges.
“In our area, on July 3, 130 young people and trade union members were caught up in the so-called voluntary pledge campaign and sent to mines and farms,” said a source in North Hamgyong Province. “This is claimed as voluntary, but in reality, it is forced relocation. If the party committee, trade union committee, or women’s union committee recommends collective mobilization and you do not comply, you are in big trouble.”
Refusal results in immediate labeling as a “revolutionary dropout,” or even a “counter-revolutionary element,” the source said. “You face such political pressure that you can no longer work or live in society. Knowing this, we accept our fate and comply,” the source said.
Thus, as change is made in one aspect, the administrative and organizational tightening of the screws serves to only strengthen the dictatorial system.
As a further indication of this, a source from Hyesan, Yanggang Province, reported on July 7 that during the party meeting, trade union and women’s union organizations across the country held ethics sessions on the “greatness” of Kim Jong-un.
In a lecture by union officials, the focus was on Kim Jong-un’s meeting with Trump in Singapore, the source said.
“It emphasized that he is a ‘divinely gifted’ individual,” he said. “It continued for an hour, praising his meeting with Trump as a victory that brought the Americans to their knees. It was absurd to see the North Korean regime boasting about a meeting with the United States while branding it as a defeat for the Americans.”
The same source claimed that internal control over residents has intensified, with stricter punishments for watching South Korean dramas or foreign videos and reading foreign publications.
“Control over clothing and hairstyles has also become stricter than ever,” he said.
“A 23-year-old man named Yoo from Onsong County, North Hamgyong Province, was sentenced on July 6 to seven years in prison for listening to South Korean music and sharing it with a close friend,” the source reported.
Our conclusion at this stage is that the heightened controls are intended to send the message that Kim’s new external leadership style of appearing “normal” is not to be misunderstood by his subjects.
Zane is a defector from North Korea. Before defecting in 2022, he worked at a state-run North Korean company based in Russia. Prior to his assignment in Russia, he had worked at the external affairs department of a company affiliated with the DPRK's Escort Bureau. He graduated from Pyongyang University of Architecture.
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