SEOUL: When Kim Jong Un took over leadership of North Korea in late 2011, after the death of his father, the reclusive, eccentric dictator Kim…
SEOUL: When Kim Jong Un took over leadership of North Korea in late 2011, after the death of his father, the reclusive, eccentric dictator Kim Jong Il, he inherited the throne while still believed to be in his twenties, with little to no experience in governance.
Of what little was known about Kim, many observers drew attention to years of his youth spent studying in Switzerland, and a reputed affinity for NBA basketball.
Those details led many observers to speculate that North Korea finally had its reformer, that the young Kim would open his country’s economy in a manner similar to China under Deng Xiaoping.
Having tasted life in a free, rich society, it seemed to follow that Kim would bring his country out of isolation, gradually lifting the restrictions on movement of people and information both into and out of North Korea.
THREATS, PURGES, GRIPS ON POWER
But instead of opening his country, Kim’s first few years at the helm featured a series of purges in the upper ranks of North Korea’s government to solidify his grip on power, violently eliminating anyone he perceived as a threat, including his uncle by marriage, who was dragged out of a large meeting as an apparent warning to anyone else with ambitions of challenging the young Kim’s control of the country.
He also increased security along North Korea’s border with China to limit the number of North Koreans who defect to South Korea.
Once he felt secure, Kim began to consider his country’s position in the international order. As a small, poor country, North Korea needed to do something to build a profile that more powerful countries would take seriously.
Starting in 2016, North Korea stepped up its nuclear and missile testing, conducting more frequent tests than at any previous point in the country’s history. The country conducted three nuclear tests between 2006 and 2013; three tests were conducted just in 2016 and 2017.
