Power Bases Kim Jong Il

As evident through the striking similarities between the totalitarian government of 1984 and the Communist regime of North Korea, it really is as if Kim Il Sung obtained an early copy of George Orwell’s 1984 and used it as a blueprint for his system (Hitchens n.p.). George Orwell had been exposed to various types of imperialism throughout his early life, leading to a realization of his resentment for authority. Orwell produced the novel with the intent of warning future societies of the dangers of totalitarian governments, yet North Korea epitomizes a flawless depiction of the very authority that Orwell yearned to avoid through providing a detailed illustration of the ramifications of submitting to a tyrannical government (Merriman n.p.).

Kim Jongun, has mentioned before that he wants the world to look up to his strong country as a nuclear power, rather than just a mere country with multiple sanctions shouting big words. This in the past has led to various consequences from hegemonies all around the world who feel threatened by the implications of a young tyrant in charge of ICBMs. This is a clear example of the security dilemma in which the entire world, the anarchy that it is, has to control minor nations that strive for hegemony at the expense of the larger nations’ security and loss of leverage. Unfortunately, it seems that despite the clear warnings from the superior nations, the North Korean dictator has no interest in abiding by international rules and is far more fascinated with realist ideologies of projections of power.

The government structure of North Korea has its existence in one man, Kim Jong Un. It existed in his father, Kim Jong Il, before him, and in his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, before him. North Korea has one of the few successful hereditary dictatorships based on a personalistic regime where the leaders are worshipped as almost a deity (after Kim Il-sung’s death he was made “eternal president”) creating a dynastic transfer of power (Aoki, 2012). In China the one party of the Chinese Communist Party will rule as an Authoritarian body over the nation, but in North Korea the sole power rest dangerously in the arms of one person. Some of the reason for this dissimilarity between the two government structures lies in the country’s differing political cultures.

North Koreaś government is a dictatorship with Kim Jong-un as the dictator. The North Koreans treat Jong-un as a god and that he

North Korea is ruled by a leader named Kim Jong II. North Korea is like an isolated country that are being brained wash by their one leader Kim Jong II. People are taken and are taught in a young age on who to rule and who are the bad people and have hate towards the US. North Korea has false fantasy about the US making

Life in North Korea’s high contrast with life in the United States is marked by nonexistent personal freedoms and harsh punishments. One example of restricted freedom in shown in their leader, Kim Jong-un. He, who they address as Dear Leader, is treated like

The current government that North Korea has in place in its country is a communist state. Communism can be defined as advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. North Korea’s major political party is the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) and has been governed by the Kim dynasty since 1946. North Korea also has minor parties such as the Chondoist Chongu Party and the Social Democratic Party (Both run by the KWP). All political parties are controlled by the “Supreme Leader” and appoints members to political positions as needed. The people of North Korea refer to whoever is leading the government as “Supreme Leader.” Currently, North Korea’s “Supreme Leader” is Kim Jong Un and he was elected, unopposed, in December 17, 2011. The biggest concern with North Korea’s government is that they do not possess any diplomatic representation in the United States, nor does it posses any diplomatic representation from the United States.

In chapter 4, Hazel Smith illustrate how wartime influenced on the state and party building in North Korea. As South Korea estimated that North Korea lost a half of its population, the damage by Korean War was extensive (Smith, 97). Through the war, however, North Korea seemed to give Party authority so that they could function as decision maker. In addition, Kim Il Sung’s authority was also uniquely strong. His leader authority, mass mobilization, and policy of self-reliance were important elements of the North Korean post-war state. As she says in chapter 5, children were supposed to learn about Kim Il Sung (Smith, 123). Moreover, North Korean people were not allowed to have international publication (Smith, 126). These Smith’s explanations

He is the youngest head of state in the world (Mark Bowden). Although North Korea is officially called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Jong-Un is ironically a supreme dictator. One might ask “So how did this totalitarian state which obtains its leaders through hereditary relations receive such a contradictory title?” A United Nations inquiry from The Guardian states, “North Korea’s leadership is committing systematic and appalling human rights abuses against its own citizens on a scale unparalleled in the modern world, crimes against humanity with strong resemblances to those committed by the Nazis.” The same article goes on to say, “These are not mere excesses of the state: they are essential components of a political system that has moved far from the ideals on which it claims to be founded.

Kim Il-sung had ultimate control over his people as he had the military to enforce his laws. If a citizen dared to speak up against the government, he and his family would be thrown into horrendous prisons for the next three generations. What makes North Korea different than Rwanda and Haiti is that poverty there was a normal part of life. Kim Il-sung cut off communication with the outside world. He controlled television and radio services to ensure that his people were ignorant that their lives were much worse than the rest of the world. Similar to Haiti, North Koreans were faced with hunger and a lack of basic necessities to live comfortably. A rigid system in North Korea made it impossible for families of lower class to improve their status because of tainted family history. Unlike Haiti’s vacillating government, North Korea was dominated by totalitarianism. North Koreans were taught to believe that they lived in the best place on earth, when in reality, they lived in poverty and domination. Their perception of their lives was caused by the culture that Kim Il-sung created. He instilled loyalty using media, force, and religious practices. This is similar to Rwanda because the Hutus and Tutsis were also taught to believe in the ethnic divisions hat separated them through school systems, religion, and

This non-democratic nation of North Korea uses a variety of methods to control their population. Leader Kim Jong-Un increased control over the North Korean border with China since he has become leader, to prevent citizens from escaping and seeking a safe haven out of the country. He has also tightened restrictions on freedom of movement inside the country. Governments are made up of men and women. People do not have the right to control how other people want to live there lives, our world has moved passed the thought of few control many. A true government is one ruled by the people and guided by a constitution. These ideas have conquered kings and rulers in a way no war ever could. If Kim Jong-Un doesn’t change his methods in keeping complete

Kim Jong-Un is one of the 49 current dictators that are still ruling. Kim Jong-Un’s birthdate is currently unknown because his parents never revealed it. Kim Jong-Un’s father was Kim Jong-Il who was the dictator of North Korea from 1994-2011. Kim Jong-Il chose Kim Jong-Un to take over his position in 2011 when he passed away because he noticed similarities in Kim Jong-Un to himself. In 2011 when Kim Jong-Un took power, he executed many of his father’s senior officials. One of the people executed was his uncle, Jang Song-thaek. The rest of his uncle’s family was executed as well. North Korea under Kim Jong-Un’s control is best known for their weapon testing. They use the weapon testing to show the world that they have the best weapons, which threatens other countries. In 2012, North Korea agreed to stop the nuclear weapon testing. Even though North Korea agreed to stop the testing, two months later they launched a satellite that failed after takeoff. In 2016, North Korea had their fifth underground nuclear test. In 2017, North Korea is still testing nuclear weapons. In February of 2017, North Korea launched a medium long range ballistic missile. Although testing nuclear weapons is one of Kim Jong-Un’s favorite things to do, he has other interests. He appreciates the western culture. One of his favorite things about western culture is the ex-NBA player Dennis Rodman. Dennis Rodman actually visited Kim Jong-Un in North Korea for two days in 2013. Kim Jong-un got his wife, Ri Sol-ju, in the summer of 2012. The couple’s wedding date is currently still

The world has for years tried to find peace with North Korea. However, since the 2010 incident, where "North Korea was held responsible for the sinking of the South Korean warship and for the deaths of forty-eight sailors" (White & Bradshaw, 2014, pg. 127).  Since then, the tension has dramatically increased, more so in the past few years since Kim Jong-Un has taken rule of the country since his father passing. Kim Jong-Un is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's army and the Chairman of the Central Military Commision. To keep peace the world as given money, placed sanctions, and threaten war (Maloof, 2013). Neither of these have brought Kim Jong-Un to want real peace with the world. The world fears a war is coming and the death of thousands. North Korea is not holding back. They have grown basically an army full of nuclear weapons. However, we are unaware of all the weapons they are in control of. We do know that as of 2006 and 2009 they have conducted two nuclear tests.  Then

Kim Jong-Il's succession of his father, Kim Il-Sung, was not a simple process. Unlike North Korea's allies the USSR and China, North Korea's system of succession was well-established and very thorough. North Korea's system was not based on the idea that Jong-Il would just become the leader of the country. As stated in Lynn's Bipolar Orders, each stage of Jong-Il's ascension would test his political talents in order to prove that he would be able to take control of North Korea effectively. The process would take many years and started long before the public knew that he would be the one to succeed Kim Il-Sung.

State media sources are tightly controlled so as to prevent the North Korean public from accessing any information that does not come from the country's strict government bureau of information, and this means that many North Koreans are grossly misinformed about the position of North Korea in the world and believe, for example, that their meagre lifestyles are preferable to the terrible conditions in other countries. Visitors to North Korea routinely report tight levels of control, with mobile phones confiscated for the duration of the visit and all movement tracked by an official government-supplied 'tourist guide'.