Replies

How to interpret what is happening in North Korea?

Obviously they have an Imperial cult http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_cult with a dynasty that is worshipped as gods that can make wonderful things like 11 hole-in-ones http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/from-fashion-icon-to-golf-pro-mind-boggling-facts-about-kim-jong-il/story-e6frf7lf-1226226100974

They borrowed the cult from Mao http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=3684 and Stalin. This followed a long tradition that can be explored in The Golden Bough by Frazer http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/bough11h.htm

The problem is; if Kim Il sung was the god, Yuri Irsenovich Kim his priest, what is Kim Jong un?
and what would happen if he prematurely would follow his father?

I am sure that a lot of North Koreans really believe in the divinity of the Juche, but how has this belief varied over the years? Was il-sung worshipped, Jong-il worshipped and feared, Young Jong only feared?

what would happen if it collapses? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2802392/posts http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/ML13Dg01.html

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) China on Friday said it supports the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea(ROK) to improve their relations.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei made the remarks at a press conference.

Media reports said the DPRK claimed Friday that it would not change its stance toward the ROK.

Hong said the maintenance of the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsular is in line with the common interests of all relevant parties, including the DPRK and the ROK.

China supports the DPRK and the ROK to improve their relations and push forward reconciliation and cooperation, he said.

The DPRK’s National Defense Commission said in a statement that “the DPRK will have no dealings with the Lee Myung Bak group forever,” the official KCNA news agency reported Friday.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2011-12/30/c_131336075.htm

Kim Jong-il completed the divinity of his father Kim Il-sung. After making his father a god, he had claimed the divine son of god, another god by hereditary link. However, toward the end of his life, he was less worshiped than feared. Now we have his son who tries to claim his divinity via hereditary line. The trouble is that he may well be neither worshiped nor feared. The personality cult of Kim family is dying. Fast. No cult worship means no rule. That is where things are heading toward in N. Korea.

Kim Jong-eun will probably try to fight to the bitter end to defend the cult. For others around them, I am not so sure. The members of regime's inner circle will evaluate the situation on a daily basis: Do I benefit from standing by the cult or turning against it? Or should I just opt out with stashed cash in hand?

For now, everybody is laying low to see how things will pan out. Everybody is trying to get a hint by figuring out what others are up to.