North Korean leader Kim Jong Un talks with cadres. Kim las launched another purge in the military, undermining morale. Photo: AFP/KCNA via KNS
Robert E. McCoy, Asia Times: Purges, resignations hit North Korea’s military, elites
Dissatisfaction among those close to Kim Jong Un, and among those responsible for maintaining North Korea’s system, suggest problems for the regime.
As the world awaits word on the second Kim Jong Un-Donald Trump summit, all may not be well in the palaces of Pyongyang. Indications are that cracks are appearing in the pillars of the North Korean state – the elites and the military.
A recent article in South Korean media reported on how North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s latest round of purges has elites concerned. That follows another report that Kim is even purging his own guards for corruption.
The vaunted status of military officers in the North may be falling as Kim turns his focus away from the armed forces to concentrate on improving the nascent market economy.
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WNU Editor: Kim Jung-un has kicked into motion a perception in North Korea that change is coming. This means that for those who have benefited from the system .... there must be a great reluctance to give up their positions and benefits. Hence the purges, and forced resignations.
