Urgent Execution

As facts appear, it gets clear what is going on in North Korea. The despotic leader, Kim Jong-un, executed his suspected uncle, Chang Song-thaek, with extreme urgency after sentencing death penalty. Newspapers in Japan predict stricter tyranny of Kim, unleashed by disappearance of his guardian. Well, obstacle was removed. Can he lead that mostly failed country, anyway?

Korean Labor Newspaper released a picture on its webpage, which showed Chang entering in military courtroom. Hanging head, looking pale and his arms held by court officials, Chang was supposed to be harshly lynched. Media in South Korea found that he was shot to death soon after sentenced in the tribunal.

All those open cruelties on him must be lessons for potential enemy against concentrated power in the regime. There are thousands of people in the regime, who are categorized as close to Chang. They are going to be the target of purge. Three thousands of people were stripped of ranks, ousted, or executed, when Hwang Jang-yeop, one of the closest aides of the national father, Kim Il-soon, exile himself to the South in late 1990s. There will be more number of victims this time.

This cruelty will bring the nation back to the governance of terror, along with consecutive show trials and open executions. Because the suspicions on Chang included inappropriate activities using his political power, the leadership will strictly accuse “injustices” in the regime to reinforce its political basis. That is how that tyrannical regime has survived. To maintain Kim dynasty, the leaders sometimes excluded family members of Kim. It is a big question that how two brothers of Kim Jong-un will be treated in North Korea.

By removing bad factor of corruption, North Korean economy needs to be better than past years. However, there is no positive sign of improvement. With strict regulation on economic activities, namely in the area close to the border with China, merchants are disappointed to the slowdown of modernization of North Korea’s economy. Introducing China-like economic reform, which China has been seeking as a way for engaging the North to the world economy, is losing ground with current political disturbance.

Losing a guardian who was against assertive diplomacy with nuclear tests and missile launching, Kim Jong-un is going to be aggressive on intimidating neighbor countries. But the situation in Northeast Asia has quickly been changed by China’s maritime assertiveness. Even if the North adopts traditional brinkmanship policies, there is no guarantee to achieve a preferable result. Then what are they going to do?