PYONGYANG: It has been five years since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un came to power. Under his rule, there appear to be signs of rising prosperity on the streets of Pyongyang based on the rare glimpses granted to outsiders, but little else is known about the hermit kingdom.
Dr Cheng Xiaohe, a North Korean expert from the Renmin University of China told Channel NewsAsia: “The past five years would have been very dangerous, fragile and volatile years for this young leader and he’s survived. And I believe he has consolidated his power base and he will continue to rule his country in the foreseeable future. “
The isolated country has also conducted an unprecedented level of nuclear and missile tests over the last year. And it may have acquired the capability to deliver a nuclear weapon on a missile, though the US government has expressed doubts on that, along with President-elect Donald Trump who dismissed the idea that North Korean missiles could reach US territory by stating “It won’t happen! ” on Twitter.
Observers have noted that North Korea has been uncharacteristically restrained in the last few months as South Korea sank into a political crisis that saw the impeachment in parliament of President Park Geun-hye. The isolated country has not conducted ballistic missile or nuclear tests since September, even as the United Nations tightened sanctions that aimed at choking off its nuclear ambitions.
