North Korea under Kim Jong Il : from consolidation to systemic dissonance

296 Pages·2006·1.673 MB·English

by  Sung Chull Kim

North Korea under
Kim Jong Il
From Consolidation to
Systemic Dissonance
Sung Chull Kim
North Korea under Kim Jong Il

North Korea under Kim Jong Il
From Consolidation to Systemic Dissonance
Sung Chull Kim
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2006 State University of New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kim, Sung Chull, 1956–
North Korea under Kim Jong Il : from consolidation to systemic
dissonance / Sung Chull Kim.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6927-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-7914-6927-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Korea (North)—Politics and government. 2. Kim, Cho˘ng-il, 1942– .
3. Korea (North)—Foreign relations. 4. National security—Korea (North).
5. Political leadership—Korea (North). I. Title.
JQ1729.5.A58K555 2007
951.9304'3—dc22 2006001295
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Tables and Figures vii
Abbreviations ix
Note on Romanization xi
Preface xiii
1. Introduction: A Conceptual Frame for Systemic Changes 1
Emergence of the Systemic Identity of North Korea 3
Embodiment of the System: Functional Differentiation 10
Systemic Dissonance and Major Conjunctures 13
Requirement for Systemic Viability: Openness 24
Tour of the Book 26
2. Kim Jong Il: The Political Man and His Leadership Character 29
The Shaping of a Political Personality 31
The Political Man’s Road to Succession 41
Active-Negative Leadership Character 45
Implications for Systemic Changes 54
3. The Party’s Strengthening Discipline and Weakening Efficiency 57
Kim Il Sung’s Legacy: From a Mass Party to an
Institutionalized Party 59
Kim Jong Il and Organizational Changes 65
Party-Life Criticism as a Disciplinary Instrument 69
The Declining Efficiency of the Party 75
Dual Implications 79
4. Military-First Politics and Changes in Party-Military Relations 81
Power Dynamics and Party-Military Relations 83
Military-First Politics under Kim Jong Il 91
Institutional Differentiation between the Party and
the Military 96
Relevance to Kim Jong Il’s Management Style 101
vvii CCoonntteennttss
5. Chuch’e in Transformation 105
Chuch’e and Power Succession 106
Socialism in Historical Development 112
Estrangement from Marxism-Leninism 121
On Capitalism and Opening Up 130
Reflections on Chuch’e: With Special Reference to
Systemic Identity 135
6. The Fluctuation of Economic Institutions and the
Emergence of Entrepreneurship 137
Institutions of Economic Management:
Traditions and Their Dislocation 138
Increased Local Latitude 147
The Emergence of Private Entrepreneurs 150
Informal Transition of Property Rights 157
Implications for Systemic Dissonance 163
7. The Changing Roles of Intellectuals 165
Socialist Transformation and Persecution of Intellectuals 166
Socialist Mobilization and Changes in the Class Status
of Intellectuals 174
Kim Jong Il’s Rise and His Mobilization of Intellectuals 178
The Perceived “Internal Enemy” in Times of Decaying
Socialism 183
Facilitation of the “Skip-Over Strategy” 186
8. Conclusion: Dilemmas of Opening Up 193
Special Features of Systemic Dissonance 193
Defiance in 2002 199
Appendix 207
Notes 211
Bibliography 251
Index 267
Contents vii
Tables and Figures
Table 1.1. Trends of Oil Imports and Energy
Consumption, 1980–2002 21
Table 1.2. Grain Imports and International Assistance,
1989–98 22
Figure 5.1. Development of Mode of Production:
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il’s Scheme 113
Figure 5.2. Authority Relations in the Sociopolitical
Organism 125
Table 6.1. Types of Property Rights Transitions 161
Table 8.1. Degradation of Systemic Identity 195
vii

Abbreviations
ADB Asian Development Bank
CC Central Committee
CCP Chinese Communist Party
CoCom Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls
DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
IMF International Monetary Fund
KAPF Korean Artists Proletarian Federation
KCB Korean Central Broadcast (of North Korea)
KCIA Korea Central Intelligence Agency (of South Korea)
KCNA Korea Central News Agency (of North Korea)
KEDO Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization
KINU Korea Institute for National Unification
KPA Korean People’s Army
LWR light-water reactor
NDC National Defense Commission
PRC People’s Republic of China
PSM People’s Safety Ministry
SCH Safety Commanding Headquarters (in KPA)
SPA Supreme People’s Assembly
SSA State Security Agency
SYL Socialist Youth League
WPK Workers’ Party of Korea
ix