What is the Extent of Kim Jong-un’s Power?

It has been suggested that Kim Jong-un is attempting to gain favor from the military and prove that he is able to lead as his father did by using nuclear threats and threats of war against South Korea and the United States.

Kim Jong-un possibly attempted to gain the military’s confidence in his regime with his threats of war and the raising of nuclear weapons in the direction of the United States. Prior to the country’s failure to successfully launch a missile on April 13, Kim tried to maintain a comparatively visible regime. The mistake possibly discredited Kim Jong-un in the eyes of those in the military, and pushed him to develop a more abrasive approach to foreign policy to solidify his place as Supreme Commander.

While Kim Jong-un struggled to gain the favor of the military community, he had no issues attempting to convince the public. North Korea is notoriously isolated from the rest of the global community, and such isolation allows North Korean citizens to remain blissfully unaware of the true strengths of the country’s enemies and place their faith completely in the government’s hands. The self-proclaimed divinity of the ruling family adds to such faith. Kim Jong-un’s birth has been touted as “heaven-sent,” and the new leader fashions himself as “a reincarnation of Kim Il-sung.”

North Korea has a history of threatening its enemies at a whim and not following through (as was the case in April of this year). The new leader of North Korea, however, has left pundits and experts guessing. Kim Jong-un did not enter a period of mourning like his father did after the passing of Kim Il-sung; rather, Kim Jong-Un plunged himself into the leadership merely months following the death of Kim Jong-il. Consequently, little is known about Kim Jong-un’s training for leadership due to its brevity.