Kim Jong Un ordered the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) to strengthen its ideological training and step up monitoring within the Korean Workers’ Party a day after the inter-Korean summit took place in Pyongyang. The preemptive measure appears intended to strengthen solidarity toward the regime to prevent unrest as inter-Korean exchanges increase in the future.
“On September 21, Comrade Kim Jong Un ordered the OGD to ‘seamlessly conduct a new, Party-wide organizational and political initiative in our own style’ and announced that ‘the order was aimed at preventing and overcoming the ideological degeneration of all Party members,'” a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK.
According to the source, as he handed down the order, Kim emphasized a revolutionary attitude by saying, ‘We must move forward with the revolution and construction on the basis of the revolutionary legacies and beliefs the Great Wonsunims (Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il) prepared for us.’” Kim added that he was continuing the legacies of his predecessors as a way to raise the loyalty of Party members.
Moreover, he emphasized that the ideological perspective of all Party members, from the highest cadre to the lowest official, must be “completely controlled.”
“He ordered the internal reporting system to be changed from one that reported on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to one that reported by the hour, by issue, and by individual,” the source said. “He is aiming to create a more detailed reporting management system that allows him to know what an individual person is thinking and what kind of work they are doing.”
A separate source in Pyongyang with knowledge of the directive reported that Kim Jong Un also said that the Party must create a new basis for Party officials with talent “who are absolutely loyal to the Party and the revolution within a rapidly changing era.”
“He is saying that Party cadres must make dynamic changes in the Central Party and provincial Parties by the end of the year in accordance with their ideological background, attitude toward work and performance,” the additional source said, explaining that this may suggest that some Party officials will be replaced in accordance to how “loyal” they appear to be.
Moreover, he continued, Kim ordered the Party to ensure that the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang creates real benefit to national development. He pointed out that the steps related to fulfilling the Pyongyang Joint Declaration between the two leaders must be planned.
“He also said that the monolithic leadership system needs to be established so that the basis of the Party’s wise guidance will be resolutely maintained into the future,” he added.
“From the North Korean government’s perspective, the spread of ‘expectations about unification’ [among the people] is not a good thing.”
North Korea has held back from openly criticizing South Korea, which in the past was considered the country’s “enemy.” However, now that ordinary North Koreans are talking positively about the South Korean president the regime seems to feel it needs to control the situation.
“This all shows the difficulties the authorities are grappling with given that they need outside investment for economic development but also need to maintain and strengthen support for the regime,” the second source explained.
During this recent spate of orders, Kim Jong Un also indicated his intention to strengthen the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal. He reportedly stated, “The biggest success we had from this latest summit was ensuring the Party members and workers fully understand the justification for continuing the nuclear-economic parallel policy, strengthening our self-sufficient military power, and the policy of [attaining a] self-sufficient national economy.”
The North Korean government has announced its intention to denuclearize to the international community, but domestically it has emphasized strengthening the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal. The North Korean authorities will likely continue to emphasize this strategy through internal information sessions, meetings and study groups into the future.
