Category: Kremlinology

Lankov, writing in the Asia Times, helps to educate our suspicions about the untimely death of one senior North Korean leader: The car incident that killed Yi Che-kang was also timely for Jang Song-taek. Yi was widely believed to be a rival of Jang. Now, with Yi dead, Jang seems to have no serious rivals left. The recent assembly session also appointed a new head of the North Korean cabinet. In North Korea, the prime minister is essentially a top...

The Chosun Ilbo reports that Kim Jong Il’s appearance at a surprise session of the Grand People’s Assembly was the latest chapter in the largest purge in North Korea for almost two decades: Some 100 senior officials were ousted in the latest purge, including Pak Nam-gi, the director of the Workers Party’s Planning and Finance Department, who was executed by firing squad over the botched currency reform late last year. That was Kim’s fifth massive purge. A South Korean security...

Will the failure of The Great Confiscation set back Kim Jong-Eun’s “succession?”___________________ Kim Jong Il’s sister, Kim Kyong-Hui, is the reported beneficiary of a power shift in North Korea. That makes sense from a certain logical perspective: the regime needs a “bridge figure” to maintain the magic of Kim Il Sung’s dynastic bloodline, and Kim Jong-Eun just isn’t looking very ready to be that figure.___________________ But behind the scenes, my guess is that Jang Song Thaek will end up in...