North Korean boy dictator Kim Jong-un is off to an impressive start with the political executions, according to an annual report released by Amnesty International.
The Telegraph reports that in January 2012 alone, the State Security Agency rounded up 200 officials who were variously killed or sent to concentration camps in a massive Stalinist purge. By comparison, North Korea purged 30 in all of 2011.
Additonal reports claim that North Korean citizens who failed to mourn with sufficient drama the death of longtime despot Kim Jong-il have been identified and sentenced to labor camps. In light of these developments, it would appear obvious the dictatorship is cracking down to prevent any possible rebellion during Kim Jong-un’s assumption of power.
An article in the South Korean newspaper Daily NK describes the ambience:
Several days ago it was revealed that during the mourning period for Kim Jong Il, four public officials from North Hamgyung Province were murdered in what is an unprecedented crime for North Korea.
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Sensationally, a note reading “punished in the name of the people” was located next to the body of a murdered security official . How could it be possible for a populist vigilante to carry out such an audacious killing spree in a country as systematically repressed as North Korea? Could these murders have been official purges designed to look like unsolved crimes?
Even more sensational is the news that North Korea may have staged elaborate “traffic accidents” in order to assassinate 30 officials viewed as scapegoats for the worsening relations with South Korea. If true, the method of execution is extremely zany–and Kim Jong-un’s insufficiently mourned father would be proud.
Photo: Associated Press
It is mind-boggling enough from a great distance. Living next door would be surreal.
I can’t even imagine what it must be like to live next door to that country.
I would agree that Kim Jong-un is trying to impress and appease the generals. His power depends on the support of the military rather than popular support. That would explain the increased belligerence we have seen in the sinking of the South Korean ship (the Cheonan) and the bombardment of Yeonpyeong island. Being a dangerous madman may be part of the job description.
Business as usual, there are always purges during changeover time in dictatorships. It’s possible that Kim Jong-un needs to be seen to be as tough as his dad in order to appease the generals, as much as keep the population cowered. You can be sure that if the generals weren’t happy with him a little train crash would be arranged.