Kim Jong-un strengthens his power, seeks to revive the dying economy of North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is starting the year with a new post that elevates him to the top of power and helps further strengthen his figure at the head of the regime.

Kim was appointed general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party, of which he was until now president, in a change that reflects his desire to strengthen his power, analysts said.

The new post is that occupied by his father and grandfather. And from there, he will surely seek to rebuild the course of the country, especially the economy, which is heavily affected by international sanctions and more isolated than ever due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The appointment took place on the sixth day of the Eighth North Korean One-Party Congress, which is being held in Pyongyang, state agency KCNA reported on Monday.

The designation has above all strong internal meaningThe last Secretary General to date being his father, Kim Jong-il, who got the post in 1997 and held it until his death in 2011.

The legacy of his grandfather

But the most important thing is to draw a parallel with his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, founder of the regime and North Korea’s most revered figure, who, after his death in 1994, was named the country’s “eternal president”. .

Kim Jong-un was promoted to first secretary in 2012, shortly after his father’s death, and at the previous party congress in 2016, he became president, a rank his grandfather also held between 1949 and 1966, when, like his now grandson, he became “chongseogi” (general secretary).

The decision therefore seems to be aimed at constructing a narrative that, once again, brings back the memory of North Koreans Kim Il-sung, which the regime has been trying to do since Kim Jong-un came to power by taking advantage of the huge similarities both physical and character between grandfather and grandson.

At a time when the country seems to cross its worst economic crisis in years It seems wise to link the figure of the young chief to that of his grandfather – synonymous with military victories concocted by propaganda and with (relative) prosperity – and not so much with that of his father, sullen and associated with the terrible famine from the 90’s.

The inner circle

The changes in the party’s organization chart also meant the appointment of Jo Yong-won, considered a close associate of Kim, as one of the five members of the presidium of the political bureau, the party’s main decision-making body.

Jo replaced Pak Pong-ju and became one of the five most powerful figures in the regime along with the four other members of this council: Kim Jong-un himself, Choi Ryong-hae, Ri Pyong-chol and Kim Tok. -Hun.

Many eyes were on him, since since he began to accompany the leader during his periodic visits in 2014, he has continued to grow in importance, to the point of being appointed deputy of the political bureau and deputy director of the Organization and Orientation department in 2019, the powerful body that oversees the party.

Jo is the official who has appeared in public the most times in the past five years with the leader, whom he accompanied on important weapons tests, during his trip to China in 2018, during a summit with Southern President Moon Jae-in; or in two others with US President Donald Trump.

The sister’s stranger

For her part, the leader’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, also considered one of the most powerful people in the regime, was not included on the list of substitutes for the party’s political bureau, where she was included. for the first time in 2017.

Many experts have hoped that this year, in which Kim Yo-jong rose to prominence by becoming the regime’s foreign policy spokesperson on several occasions, she would be named to that list of officials.

However, other officials point out that her absence does not imply a loss of status for the sister.

Approach in the United States?

Beyond the internal reorganization of the single party, during the congress Kim Jong-un called on the new government of Joe Biden in the United States to propose new alternatives to resume the blocked dialogue on denuclearization, warning that the North Korean military is preparing new weapons tests.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has been a key intermediary in getting Kim to hold three summits with Trump on Monday, said he would meet with North Korean officials “anywhere and anytime” to rekindle ties. and the peace process and disarm.

Some analysts claim that North Korea took advantage of this Congress to send a challenge message to Biden, but wisely, after the tumultuous relationship between Kim and Trump.

Everything seems to indicate that this congress was also an opportunity for Pyongyang to organize a military parade.

The South Korean military claims to have detected indications that the parade took place on Sunday evening but does not know whether it was “the event itself or a rehearsal.”

In October, a large parade was organized to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party. A gigantic ICBM was seen there.

By Andrés Sánchez Braun, EFE agency

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