[imText1]Backroom Politics
Kim Jong Il commented on his own working styles during his speech at Kim Il Sung University in 1996. He said that he had been working all by himself because of the party officials’ incompetence. “I assisted the Leader from 1960s, but I don’t get any assistance now. I have to work alone because they are too incompetent to give me any help. If the key working people of theCentral Party People’s Committee are incapable of assisting me, they are useless.”
Kim does not make a decision by drawing a consensus at meetings. The reason he ignored the official decision making procedure is because he rules alone with only a few close aides. At most of the meetings, he addresses the Politburo of the Party Central People’s Committee and key officials of the Propaganda and Agitation Department, taking top-down decision making approach. His political style is close to elitism than populism. Kim Jong Il prefers this kind of secret politics and depends on a small group of elites for policy-makings.
Information Control
It is extremely important for him to receive accurate and honest report, and brief and essential information in order to work by himself and be in control.5) He set up a system of reporting while establishing his control of information. All the events, small and big, taking place across the nation are reported directly to Kim Jong Il.
He receives report every third day from one of the three administrative branches of the party. And he is to be reported directly whenever there is a violation of the law of the one-man ruling system, any casualties or other emergencies. All the regional offices across the nation are networked under this system.
People Skills
While Kim Il Sung put priority on personality, Kim Jong Il puts top priority on individual’s party affiliation or loyalty. His late father stressed personality even when selecting a special agent, but the younger Kim thinks highly of party loyalty.
Kim Jong Il makes people his own by generously giving a favor to a person in trouble or by troubling them intentionally and rescuing them afterwards. Kim Il Sung learned this tactic called itairai from Mao and he passed it on to his son.
Kim Jong Il employed this tactic when he purged the so-called “anti-party elements” such as Park Keum Cheol, Lee Hyo Sun and Kim Do Mahn after he entered politics in 1967. On the other hand, he gave a helping hand to Ju Hyeong Ok, Chairman of the former Central Broadcasting Committee, Cha Gye Ryong of the Director of 2.8 Film Institute and Cheon Se Bong, Chairman of the Central People’s Committee of Writers’ Union. They all became right hand men of Kim Jong Il. Another example of his tactic may have been his treatment of Oh Jin Woo after his traffic accident in 1987.
Kim Jong Il also resorted to secret parties as a means to win people. For those attending the secret parties mean that they are Kim Jong Il’s men. Interestingly, however, Kim invites Deputy Directors rather than Directors of the Central Party. This reveals an aspect of the crafty tactics of Kim’s people skills. He uses ‘divide and rule’ tactics in dealing with Directors and Deputy Directors. By doing so, he prevents party officials from making private organizations and pits them against each other for eliciting utmost loyalty to his regime.
Ruling Style
What is most remarkable of Kim Jong Il’s ruling style is his reliance on propaganda and agitation. Movies, group gymnastics, and revolution operas are all the means for the same goal. Interestingly, he does not deliver a public speech though he is good at propaganda and agitation. The only public speech Kim has made so far is just one sentence: ‘Glory to the heroic soldiers of the People’s Army.’ He has never appeared on TV programs.
Kim Il Sung was relatively a good speaker. He hit the nail with simple words. Many trace Kim’s speech talent back to his days during the anti-Japanese guerilla warfare. Most of the partisan soldiers were less than educated, so simple teaching was more effective than complex, long-winded speeches. Therefore, Kim Il Sung’s speech style ended up simple and clear.
Kim Jong Il’s speech style is closer to directive than public speech. At executive’s meetings, Kim dominates the talk and induces other participants to agree with him. Whereas, Kim Il Sung thought highly of other leadership at the time of decision making, the younger Kim tends to make a decision on his own and abhors objection by others to his policy and guidelines.
In addition, Kim wants to project a mystical image. He often said, ‘We should not let the enemy know what we are doing.’ He believes that makes the enemy anxious. It can be interpreted as Kim Jong Il’s calculation that he would stand to gain nothing if he made public appearances and expressed his position to the general public.
Kim’s image-making can be found in many cases. He does not show up even at his official birthday parties, which is the most important public holiday in North Korea year around. For this reason, Kim is sometimes rumored to have had an accident. In reality, he often leaks such false information to see how misinformation is spread and by whom.
He sometimes tours the field with his associates on his birthday in order to look like a hard working leader. He is said to have invited artists and culture people to ordinary breakfast with rice and soup to impress them that he leads a simple life and eats simple. Kim Jong Il is said to often stay up all night. By showing up at a construction site in the wee hours without prior notice or calling party officials in the middle of the night, he displays that he works even saving sleeping time.
Characteristics of Kim’s Personality
1. Characteristics of kinetic brain
– Sensing, spontaneous situational perception and decision ability, quick judgment of profit/loss, artistic personality, etc.
– Lacking logical and mathematical ability and insight (Reference: Analysis of dialogues with Choi Eun Hee)
2. Lacking a macro view
– Fear of reform and opening
– Fear of any challenges to the system
– Limited manpower recruiting ability, preference of backroom politics, & heavy reliance on close associates
– Lacking overall leadership capacity in running national affairs-> interested in establishing fear-based tyranny
Kim Jong Il’s Image-making by the Propaganda and Agitation Department
1. Kim’s image as a Broad-minded and Generous politician
– Generalissimo: Feudalistic leadership-oriented
– Great General (Three Revolutions Exhibition Hall in Yeonmot-dong, Pyongyang: ‘There is no world without Joseon (DPRK).’
– A highly renowned person, remarkable leadership, and simple but dye hard communist (Wears a jacket; night time working)
2. Mystical persona
– Kim’s voice has never been broadcast.
– Upward camera angling
– A glimpse of Kim Jong Il at a distance is a great honor (The audience weeps with tears of joy.)
– An extreme example: In January 1997, the official North Korean broadcasting reported that Mr. General secretly visited Seoul and buildings stood mushrooming on his track.
