Brett Daniel Shehadey
Special Contributor for In Homeland Security
Late Thursday, December 12, the purge against North Korea’s number two was complete. Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of North Korean President Kim Jong Un, was executed.
Just days before, Jang was escorted out of a Worker’s Party of Korea session and arrested for womanizing, gambling, corruption and drugs. At the same time, his aides were executed as he was detained. The state media labeled [Uncle] Jang as: a “traitor to the nation for all ages,” “worse than a dog,” and a “despicable human scum.”
Analysts are asking whether this consolidate Kim Jong Un’s control or whether it reflects greater instability? Another question could be, does Kim Jong Un make North Korea politically stable as the sole ruler- the man who claps at things and laughs; likes Dennis Rodman, Disney cartoon characters and threatens nuclear war?
Were the power elites like Jang Song Thaek responsible for moderating North Korea? Is the new internal political development a counter-coup?
There are many lingering questions but it is very likely that this is both a case of greater instability and consolidation of power for the living heir of the Kim Dynasty. While the execution of the uncle shows the ruthlessness that Kim is willing to go through, it is meant to be excessive, which means that it has to be loud and drastic which likely indicates a deep rooted frustration of North Korean policies among its leaders and perhaps an 80 percent discontented, malnourished, populace.
Victor Cha, an expert of North Korea from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, makes an excellent point when he says that Song is not just one man, but represents ‘hundreds’ of people behind him and followed him within the system- it will have some “ripple effect.” This would be a counter-agent to the opposing or moderate political elements of Kim.
The main point is that such an extreme event at such a high level makes an unpredictable, hostile and closed country even more so. As Jang was a major link to China, it is possible that the leash between pit bull and master has chewed off. The US could work with China in closed door diplomacy, leveraging the loss of China’s only ally and negotiating a strategic economic and military integration of China within the Pacific community. It is most likely that China’s loss of influence in North Korea and North Korea’s increasing unpredictability and maturing nuclear weapons program do not fit into China’s strategy or stability. The trick is convincing the PRC leadership of this fact before they experience a nuclear disaster on the borders and disaster in their streets.