92-year-old Kim Yong Ju has been revealed as North Korea’s new Honorary Vice Chairman of the Supreme People’s
Assembly Standing Committee following the inaugural session of the 13th Supreme People’s Assembly on the 9th. His appearance is attracting attention for a
number of reasons, not least as he is the younger brother of former leader Kim
Il Sung and great-uncle of Kim Jong Eun.
Kim Yong Ju graduated from Moscow State University in 1945,
and upon his return to North Korea started to build a power base within the
powerful Organization and Guidance Department. Once considered a strong contender for successor, he was soon overtaken by Kim Jong Il who wasted little time in marginalizing his uncle. Kim
was demoted to vice premier in 1974 and shortly thereafter exiled to Kangkye in Jagang
Province where he spent the next 20 years under house arrest.
The “concern of Kim Jong Il” prompted a reinstatement in
1993 as the titular Vice President of North Korea. Titular roles are commonly
referred to in North Korea as the “the mark of a failed life,” and Kim’s movements
during the Kim Jong Il era are likely to have been tightly controlled.
His sudden reappearance is now giving rise to speculation over Kim Jong Eun’s intentions. Namely, that he is using his great-uncle to increase legitimacy
by emphasizing his position within the ruling Baekdu bloodline.
Kim Jong Eun’s aunt Kim Kyong Hui once served this purpose in reminding the
public of his heritage, but she is unlikely to appear again following the execution of
her husband Jang Song Taek last December.
The legacy of the past is the platform upon which the
current regime is built. After all, Kim Jong Eun’s right-hand man Choe Ryong
Hae is the son of Choe Hyon, former defense minister and fellow partisan of Kim
Il Sung.
Thus, in deciding to parade Kim Yong Ju in front of a domestic and international audience, Kim
Jong Eun wishes to prove that the oldest known member of the Baekdu bloodline and one of the
last remaining figures of a system that paved the way for his success is being well taken
care of.
On this point, Yoo Dong Ryol of the Freedom and Democracy
Institute explained to Daily NK, “Kim Kyong Hui once provided legitimacy as a
member of the Baekdu bloodline but she became an enemy after Jang Song Taek’s
execution. Promoting Kim Yong Ju is part of Kim Jong Eun’s strategy to ensure legitimacy
by reminding others that he is the rightful heir.”
