Leadership, guns, and money in North Korea: what happens if Kim Jong Un goes

Analysis

Leadership, guns, and money in North Korea: what happens if Kim Jong Un goes

Despite claims to the contrary, the country has a formal process in place if the leader is no longer around

Daniel Pinkston April 30, 2020

Leadership, guns, and money in North Korea: what happens if Kim Jong Un goes

KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un missed the country’s most important holiday on April 15 (Kim Il Sung’s birthday) and has not been seen in public since chairing a Politburo meeting on 11 April. Kim’s absence has triggered speculation that he might be ill or that he is avoiding crowds in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speculation intensified following a report by the Daily NK, a South Korean website, on 20 April that claimed Kim had undergone a cardiovascular procedure.

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About the Author

Daniel Pinkston

Dr. Daniel A. Pinkston is a lecturer in international relations with Troy University. Previously he was the Northeast Asia Deputy Project Director for the International Crisis Group in Seoul, and the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

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