Commentary: North Korea succession offers US opportunity

01/28/12: The San Francisco Chronicle features an opinion piece by Joel Brinkley concerning the succession of Kim Jong Un. Brinkley contends that North Korea’s elite has its own goals in mind when it presents him as a militant god-like leader. Brinkley argues that even in his first few days in office, Kim has offered indications that he may not preside over business as usual. North Korea did not go through with a predicted unprovoked attack on South Korea, and announced it would release prisoners, the first general amnesty in seven years. And then, for the first time, it agreed to allow a Western news agency, the Associated Press, to open an office in Pyongyang.

01/16/12: CNN reports that North Korea has angrily denied allegations that it punished some of its citizens for inadequately mourning the death of its late leader Kim Jong Il. Kim died last month after 17 years of repressive rule over the secretive state, setting off deep uncertainty about North Korea's future. The North Korean regime commemorated his death with elaborately choreographed ceremonies broadcast on state-run media that showed crowds of mourners beating their chests and wailing with grief in the snow-covered streets of Pyongyang.

01/07/12: The Boston Globe reports that North Korea's young new leader, Kim Jong Un, appears to be fashioning himself as the reincarnation of Kim Il Sung, his grandfather and the nation's founder, as he seeks to solidify his hold on the nation of 24 million in the wake of his father's death last month. Unlike Kim Jong Il, who sequestered himself for three years of mourning before formally taking up the mantle of leadership, Kim Jong Un is moving swiftly to demonstrate a decisiveness perhaps aimed at dispelling concerns about his ability to rule.

12/27/11: The Washington Post reports that North Korea’s “military-first” policy — in which the armed forces receive top priority in funding, planning and everything else — will continue under the untested leadership of Kim Jong Eun, according to statements in the state-controlled media. Kim was named the heir to power in North Korea by his father, the late Kim Jong Il, whose 17-year reign was defined by "Songun," the policy that said building a strong military was the Stalinist nation’s first — and perhaps only — goal.

12/24/11: ABC News reports that North Korea vowed Saturday to uphold Kim Jong Il's son as "supreme commander" as the campaign to install the young man as the next leader of the socialist nation sped up one week after his father's death. As the grieving continued for Kim Jong Il, state media also emphasized successor Kim Jong Un's bloodline and legacy in carrying out the Kim family claim to lead and protect the North Korean people. Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and was unveiled last year as his father's choice as successor, will be the third generation Kim to rule the country since its inception in 1948.

Thread: Kim Jong-un / Leadership Transition in North Korea (US and international diplomacy with North Korea over nuclear disarmament in separate thread)