South Korea’s National Intelligence Service
(NIS) reported on the 13th that Hyon Yong Chol, head of North Korea’s Ministry
of People’s Armed Forces (MPAF) was publicly executed on the 30th for treason.
Daily NK also reported on the 29th of last month that Kim Jong Un executed
15 high-ranking officials so far this year alone, according to the NIS.
Kim Jong Un appears to have unfolded a
reign of terror by ruthlessly purging any official who objects him in order to
consolidate his power and regime. The execution of Hyon can be seen as a bid to
foster an atmosphere of terror and issue a warning to Party and military cadres
regarding the consequences of less than unwavering loyalty to the leadership.
Kim Jong Un’s reign of terror is arguably
more stringent than that of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung–a possible indicator
of the extent of the current regime’s instability and a growing rift in Kim
Jong Un’s grasp over officials in the higher echelons of power. Cycles of
purges and executions fuel speculation that those second-guessing, willfully
ignoring, or expressing discontent with the young leader’s mandates is
increasing.
Some analysts postulate that Kim’s way of
forcing loyalty through public executions has a high probability of causing
problems for the regime down the line. Others point out how Kim’s irascible
temper and terror politics will only serve to further constrain voluntary
loyalty from core Party members, and perhaps lead them to make drastic
decisions.
Such an outlook seems credible, given
several accounts reported by inside sources that Kim’s capricious proclivities
often lead to unsparing purges of those deemed loyal just prior.
A source from Pyongyang noted, “If Kim Jong
Un is in a bad mood, even a slight misstep would jeopardize a Party cadre’s
future, regardless of how high his rank is,” an informed source in Pyongyang
reported to the Daily NK. “His mood vacillates so wildly that it’s really
hard for Party cadres to curry favor with him.”
Kim Sang Bum (50), a defector who held a
high-ranking position in the North Korean military prior to escaping the
country, told Daily NK, “The execution of Hyon reflects the volatile nature of
Kim Jong Un’s mind. Kim is resorting to reign of terror in order to maintain
his precarious regime.” He added, “In order to consolidate his power
base, Kim has been carrying out a reign of terror since he executed his uncle,
Jang Song Thaek, in December of 2013; this will continue on for some time.”
Daily NK spoke with another senior defector
on the incident, who stated, “The execution of the head of the MPAF despite the
risk of completely crumbling the military might indicate that Hyon was accused
of a very severe crime that we are not aware of,” adding that the possible
burgeoning of a faction within the MPAF may have alerted Kim to swiftly carry
out a public execution in order to issue a warning.
He went on to surmise that the
establishment of troops of bodyguards within the MPAF may have induced the
Defense Security Command and the Guidance Department to sense the possibility
of dissent. “Also, Kim might have decided to take an action on another
anti-government movement, since not all of Jang Song Thaek’s followers have
been purged.”
Lee Soo Seok, a senior researcher at South
Korea’s Institute for National Security Strategy, also weighed in on the
situation, noting, “The possibility of Hyon orchestrating a coup d’etat seems
low, given that MPAF is a place of resource distribution.” He added, however,
that ruling out the possibility entirely is difficult considering the range of positions
Hyon held within the military.
Noting that the number of purges in the Kim
Jong Un era far exceeds that of his father’s time at the helm of North Korea, Kim Sang Bum asserted that this style of leadership–as he put it, “executing
orders without consideration of the consequences,” –will only prove to be
“more of a bane than a boon for the young Kim to maintain the current system.
*The content of this article was broadcast to the North Korean people via Unification Media Group.
