u/kissyoursister - originally from r/GenZhou
I’m currently reading Patriots, Traitors & Empires and I’m really enjoying it so far. I learned absolutely nothing about Kim Il Sung and Korea’s history in school, so I have to learn about it all on my own time now in college (I don’t take any history classes).
From what I’ve read thus far, it’s very obvious that Kim Il Sung and all his merits led him to the position that he was in and that he earned his place as the founder and leader of the DPRK. My only concern, and I guess confusion, is why his son took over following his death. I don’t want to flat-out call the DPRK a monarchy because I’m not that educated on how they operate, but I’m sure you can all understand how someone in the West would see it as a monarchy through Western media and how the country is portrayed.
I guess my question is that is there any reason Marxist-Leninists should support the DPRK’s leadership from Kim Jong Il to now Kim Jong Un? Aside from being descendants of the DPRK’s founder, do they really have any qualifications? Kim Il Sung was a guerrilla leader and dedicated his life to liberating Korea, so why did the passing of command not work like a meritocracy wherein the most qualified person would take Kim Il Sung’s place once he died?
Is this “monarchy”, as it is viewed by most Westerners, widely popular in the DPRK? By that I mean do the DPRK’s proletariat accept this chain of leadership that they will be guided by the descendants of Kim Il Sung? I feel like if the answer is “yes” in any way, it would be hard to buy into that idea because Western media portrays their population as brainwashed and subjugated under a feudal monarchy. I, however, am more than willing to accept that it’s simply a different culture and their conditions are vastly different than other countries, especially the West.
I’m sure someone is going to tell me to watch Hakim’s video on why the DPRK is so weird but I’ve already seen it and it didn’t answer my question or clear up my confusion. It seems like the DPRK is the most lied about country of nearly all-time, and the difference in culture and structure between my country (America) and theirs is so vast that I want to learn more.
u/jawnbeatwif - originally from r/GenZhouKim Jong Un is extremely popular in DPRK and was as soon as he took office thanks to the association with his father. However, it isn’t nepotism in the sense that he was given his power by name alone, but due to his statecraft and leadership/symbolic significance to the population rather than simply to the benefit of the family or other private individuals
Kim Jong Un has helped guide a lot of progress in Korea and build off the revolution from his fathers leadership. Imo he has improved on many restrictive policies made during war which are no longer necessary.
Kim Il Sung was a great leader who made impossible decisions to navigate complex geopolitics and save his people, while Kim Jong Un is more egalitarian and has continued on the path his father began, rebuilding Korea internally and as a state/power
u/kissyoursister - originally from r/GenZhouI’ve heard from people who claim to be more educated on the DPRK that Kim Jong Un doesn’t really hold an office of power and that he’s more or less a symbol of the revolution, of the Juche philosophy and the face of the country. Is this an accurate description of his title? Or is he actually in the highest position of authority? I always hear contradictory takes on it, either he’s just a symbol for the population and doesn’t really have all that much authority on his own without support from councils and such, or he’s actually the one man in charge who has final say over everything and everything he says goes
u/jawnbeatwif - originally from r/GenZhouWestern media portrays him as a dictator, but he is not a despot. There are many elected offices in DPRK and he is only one of many. His position def has many authorities in domestic policy (I believe he has right to authorize military under some circumstances as well), but not total individual control of every facet of Korean society, which would be not only catastrophic to Korea’s function but practically impossible.
It’s similar to how Xi Jinping is presented: a dictator who decides everything in the country… ignoring the federalist makeup of Chinese provinces and bureaucratic distribution of power on every level of Chinese society.
There is a grain of truth tho, as the line between soft and hard power can blur. Authority is authority, and all governments and acting officials breach this line of hierarchical relations in some way. The distinction is who controls the exercise of this authority, and therefore, who benefits from its use?
Having said all that, I don’t know a ton of specifics about the inner workings of DPRK on the federal level, but hopefully this offers some useful perspective