The capricious dictator
“In the media, Kim Jong-un always appeared to be within arm’s reach of the people, and it was no longer unusual to see people reaching out to touch him.” Image | Korea Summit Press Pool
What kind of person is Kim Jong-un? As a former subject, I am genuinely curious about who he really is. But ordinary people like me don’t have the opportunity to meet him directly, so we are left with no choice but to focus on his political style.
I believe this can give a glimpse into who he truly is. Is he someone who inherited the throne as a prince, regardless of his competence or lack of it? Or is he truly capable? Was he truly chosen to rescue the people from their hardship?
At the beginning, Kim Jong-un was like someone under examination. There were doubts about him from all directions. “How can such a young person lead us?” people asked. I, too, was anxious that a person only a few years older than me was to lead the whole country.
I wondered, did he have the vision and experience to understand society? Did he have the power to resuscitate our poor country? Above all, I wondered, did he know about the lives of those at the bottom? I hoped that the poverty he knew about was not so different from the poverty I had experienced.
We were all astonished by his first appearance. A scene was broadcast on TV showing him smiling brightly, surrounded by the people, wearing a straw hat. This was probably the first time the people saw his face. How he was like his grandfather, the Great Leader Kim Il-sung. He had the same hairstyle, the same hat, the same gait. Those who had revered Kim Il-sung were excited. It was like seeing his reincarnation, people said. The concern about his youth and lack of experience were quickly forgotten. Leaning like this on his predecessors’ legacy, Kim Jong-un secured his position as leader.
His political style at first was “benevolent politics.” He visited people in their homes. He sat on the floor with housewives. He chatted with them. He visited orphanages and held children and posed for pictures.
He seemed to have a natural affection for children. People were deeply moved by his warm heart and humanity.
In the media, Kim always appeared to be within arm’s reach of the people, and it was not unusual to see people reaching out to touch him.
There is an anecdote about this benevolent politics. When a high-ranking official was found to have embezzled military supplies, the workers insisted on severe punishment. Kim heard about it and is said to have told the workers, “Yes, this man did wrong. But let’s give him another chance so that he might be rehabilitated.”
Such stories often appeared later in propaganda lectures. Every story promoting him contained elements of love and grace.
His political approach then moved on to include something new and different. Perhaps he needed something more than just his grandfather’s likeness. He found it in fan culture. The Moranbong Band and the Unhasu Orchestra were organized, and young, beautiful women began to sing the praises of Kim Jong-un. This became very popular, not because the songs praised him, but because the singers were so pretty.
Pamphlets with information about the performers were distributed. Young men and women would express their opinions about which were the most beautiful, and a kind of fandom began to form.
Kim continued to create a fandom centered on himself. It emphasized his greatness. But this time, it was a bit different from the one-sided propaganda of greatness. It was a story about how much foreigners liked him. For example, the most searched name on the Internet was Kim Jong-un, and the living sage chosen by people around the world was Kim Jong-un.
Among his admirers, it was impossible to leave out Donald Trump. The stories about Trump circulating among the North Korean people were told via the media without filters. For example, we learned, Trump liked to show his power. He has a habit of pulling his opponent’s hand toward him when shaking hands, to show that he is in the superior position. But, shaking hands with Kim Jong-un, he didn’t do that. This was because Trump was fascinated by Kim’s humanity and greatness and respected him. Doesn’t this prove that Trump respects our people?
North Koreans had endured hardship under U.S. sanctions, but spent a few happy days simply because Trump did not pull Kim’s hand toward himself during a handshake. In such an atmosphere, Kim’s fandom was formed and strengthened.
At some point, people began to experience a conflict between their absolute trust in Kim and the worsening economic conditions. As the saying goes, “Seeing Mount Geumgang is best after a meal.” Popularity and illusions can’t quell hunger.
In response to the confused public sentiment, another political approach emerged. This time it was the politics of fear.
Gunshots rang out from all directions, and people started dying. Among the dead were artists, Kim’s own uncle, and even plastic surgeons. No one knew the exact reasons for their deaths, but everyone accepted the situation.
They were afraid now of Kim’s ruthlessness, which even led him to kill his own uncle.
Someone once said, “Love has an expiration date, but fear does not.” Perhaps this is why kings of the past ruled through fear rather than love.
Once depicted as a ruler of love, Kim’s story gradually changed to one of fear. It was so bad that even an 80-year-old former hot springs manager trembled and collapsed when Kim visited his nursing home.
“I won’t eat you, so stop trembling,” Kim said to reassure him. This story became famous as a testament to Kim’s authority.
Why did his politics change from love politics to fandom politics and then to fear politics? Kim’s politics seems to change so frequently that it gives the sense that he is capricious. Could it be that he has no clear political vision or goal? Or is it that his nature is so fickle and unstable that this was inevitable?
Recently, a military parade was held in North Korea where new riot suppression units appeared. The sight of riot shields and the dogs they brought out shocked me. It seems Kim has moved beyond removal of his political enemies and executing officials and has now started to directly suppress the people.
The image of him once emphasizing love politics and embracing the people has completely disappeared. Now, only his bodyguards, their hands on their pistols, are visible. No one can touch him anymore.
Without his bodyguards’ to protect him, Kim can no longer naturally approach the people. So, who is afraid, the people or Kim himself?
The grass lies down.
The grass bends in the east wind that brings rain and finally cries.
The grass lies down.
It lies down faster than the wind. It cries faster than the wind and rises before the wind.
The day is cloudy, and the grass lies down. It lies down at the ankles, under the soles of the feet.
Even if it lies down after the wind, it rises before the wind, and even if it cries later than the wind, it smiles before the wind. (Kim Soo-young)
Born in Chongjin in 1990, Jang Mi was not a studious child, but under her mother’s influence, she graduated from high school and went on to university to take math and science. She worked as a wedding video editor for seven years until her defection in 2019.
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