North Korea marked the 10th anniversary of the death of former leader Kim Jong Il on Friday with calls for greater public loyalty to his son and current leader, Kim Jong Un, who is fighting to lift the country out of deepening related difficulties. with the pandemic.
In his 10 years at the helm of North Korea since the death of his father, Kim Jong Un, 37, has secured the same absolute power enjoyed by Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, the grandfather and founder of the North Korean state. current leader. Despite massive economic shocks caused by draconian anti-virus measures and latent diplomacy with the United States, North Korea shows no signs of political instability and few outside experts question Kim’s grip on power.
But the long-term stability of the Kim Jong Un government could still be called into question if it fails to work out steps to address current difficulties and improve public livelihoods, some observers say.
On each previous death anniversary, Kim Jong Un paid his respects at a mausoleum where the embalmed body of Kim Jong Il is located alongside that of Kim Il Sung. Kim Jong Un also held national gatherings in honor of his father during some previous anniversaries such as the first and fifth.
He was expected to do the same this year, but North Korean state media did not immediately report any public activity by Kim Jong Un on Friday morning. State newspapers carried articles venerating Kim Jong Il and calling for greater unity behind Kim Jong Un, while state television broadcast propaganda songs and documentaries about the late leader.
“The great leader and comrade Kim Jong Il is always with us … and he is the eternal ‘suryong’ and the sun of ‘juche (self-reliance)’ of our party and revolution,” said the main North newspaper, Rodong Sinmun , in an editorial, referring to a revered title reserved for North Korean leaders.
Without mentioning the current difficulties, the newspaper said that “We must do everything possible to strengthen our determined unity … by uniting behind the respected comrade Kim Jong Un.”
On Thursday, ordinary citizens offered flowers and paid tribute to the gigantic bronze statues of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung on Pyongyang’s Mansu Hill.
This year’s death anniversary comes as Kim Jong Un grapples with his most difficult time in government due to the coronavirus pandemic, persistent UN sanctions and mismanagement.
North Korea’s trade with China, its biggest trading partner and an economic pipeline, declined by about 80% last year before sinking again by two-thirds in the first nine months of this year. Last year, the North’s economy suffered its biggest contraction since 1997, while its grain production also fell to its lowest level since Kim took office, according to estimates by the South Korean government.
Kim is refusing to return to talks with Washington and Seoul, calling for building a stronger, more self-sufficient economy and maintaining strong virus restrictions, including two years of border closure. Analysts say Kim fears his country’s broken public health infrastructure may not be able to afford a major virus outbreak, although he maintains a questionable claim that North Korea is free of coronavirus.
Unless North Korea accepts offers for denuclearization talks with the United States, it cannot avoid powerful international sanctions. Without international cooperation, North Korea must continue to seal its borders due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. And this is a North Korean dilemma, ”said analyst Cheong Seong-Chang of the private Sejong Institute in South Korea in a recent analysis article.
Advancing North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is at the core of Kim’s government, and he has called it “a mighty and precious sword” that ensures peace in the face of US military threats.
During its 10-year tenure, North Korea has conducted 62 rounds of ballistic missile tests, which are prohibited by multiple UN Security Council resolutions, according to the Seoul Unification Ministry. The number compares with an estimated nine rounds of testing during Kim Il Sung’s 46-year rule and 22 rounds during Kim Jong Il’s 17-year rule. Four of the North’s six nuclear tests and its three ICBM launches occurred under the government of Kim Jong Un.
Kim’s torrid series of weapons tests in 2016-17 invited tougher UN sanctions and led him to exchange threats of destruction and crude insults with then-President Donald Trump. The two sat down for three rounds of landmark talks at Kim’s 2018-19 nuclear weapons summit, but their diplomacy eventually collapsed due to disputes over sanctions. Since then, Kim has threatened to expand his nuclear arsenal and build more sophisticated weapons systems.
“North Korea marked Kim Jong Il’s 10-year memorial with public ceremonies and state propaganda. More significant will be Kim Jong Un’s attempt, after a decade in power, to chart a credible path for post-pandemic diplomacy and economic recovery, ”said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism