Posted on 12/18/2013 10:26:27 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Is Kim Jong-un a Puppet of Hardline Brass?
Speculation is growing that hardline North Korean generals were behind the execution of leader Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek and that Kim was merely their pawn.
That would be worrying for South Korea, which would face an increased threat of military provocations.
Park Hyung-joong at the Korea Institute for National Unification said Jang's purge was part of a power struggle where factions in the military that Jang had stripped of their lucrative businesses tried to regain them.
Forces opposed to Jang, who was seen as a moderate, used a purported challenge to Kim's sole authority as an excuse to remove the eminence grise and regain control of their money-making operations.
If that is true, then the only faction strong enough to pull off such a plot is the powerful military.
Thomas Schafer, the German ambassador to North Korea, said recently that Kim was forced by the military to purge Jang and that he had "no choice."
Some experts believe that Kim is just a puppet being controlled by unseen forces. One former South Korean minister who had been in charge of diplomacy and national security affairs, told the Chosun Ilbo in a telephone interview, "Looking at Jang Song-taek's sentence and the events surrounding it, I wonder if Kim Jong-un is being pushed around by an unseen figure."
The crimes Jang was found guilty of, such as ruining the North Korean economy and living conditions of its people and attempting a coup d'état, would be seen as direct insults to the sanctity of the leader and considered taboo in North Korea, the official said.
Why would Kim risk weakening his support base by getting rid of his powerful uncle and guardian? One researcher at a state-run think tanks here said, "If there is a group of powerful figures who are controlling Kim Jong-un, it makes sense to use him because he has the legitimacy of his ancestry" as a direct descendant of nation founder Kim Il-sung.
P!
In the end, there can be only Un.
If it is true it is. How much of the shrinking pie do we get?
Tiger ... one has to think the headline is probably accurate but only to a point. This is a strange setup between Un and the military in n. korea. With everyone in the region set to go nuclear soon because of china’s rumblings and n. korea’s rumblings would instead pose the following question ... n.korea is the known puppet of china, one has to believe, and the ruse instead is n. korea’s Un and n. korea’s military being a puppet of china’s leaders and china’s military is it not china pulling all the strings? My answer to this question would be a yes. Any thoughts?
Those insular hard liners just pizzed off China. Posted earlier that Un may get a cold. Well, it just might be a VERY contagious cold!
Yup (to chime in): the Nork hardliners are getting too big for their britches. They just threatened cheap iron ore from N Korea to China. They will be smacked down. The only question is how hard...
Someone correct me if am wrong but isn't the most lucrative of n. korea's money making operations counterfeiting U.S. money?
I too feel N Korea is a puppet of China.
I feel so sorry for the poor people of NK, forced to live in a hell hole run by a despot.
How different things would be if Truman(D, for dumb) had listened to MacArthur.
yep, is always 20/20 when viewing past mistakes and I have to agree this was one for Truman.
Did we ever find out if there were or were not nukes to our south?
And if NK's military is similar to Egypt's in that they've devolved into an oligopolistic business then wouldn't they tend to be even more stabilizing in order to keep the money flowing?
My apology ... was not clear. By nukes known or unknown to our south I meant continental USA. I know this question should not be asked or answered on a forum, and besides for asking you once more have my apology.
At the very least, perhaps some actionable intelligence can be gained from the current trip of NOC asset NBA-former start Dennis Rodman, once he returns to the US for debriefing—who may be able to shed some light on a very opaque situation for all nations, and provide names of senior KPA generals at Kim-hosted banquets and the like who through their demeanor might tend to give off their true “kagemusha” (hidden shadow master) positions and power over the Fat Boy sock puppet, more than likely...
Tiger, how many times have we read that Kim Jong Un (under Jang’s guidance and tutelage) during his very early tenure made repeated visits to military units, bases and leaders in an effort to win their backing and support? I recall many articles making this point. What concessions did Jong Un make to secure this backing? Ditto for Jang in Kim’s name?
When there was talk about removing the military’s money making opportunities, it seemed to me to be a no brainer that this could spell big trouble for Kim. Jang paid the price apparently. Big message has been sent to Kim, “Don’t mess with us or we’ll take you out too”.
What a brilliant deduction.
The ones who have the guns and muscle are calling the shots.
How did they ever come up with that idea?
Is this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choe_Ryong-hae the new boss?
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/12/19/2013121901640.html
Thanks for the ping.
98 and a half years old, and ol' David Rockefeller is still running things! [/humor]
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.