OPED By: Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Policymakers in the US intelligence establishments are becoming increasingly concerned with the ‘CRINK,’ an acronym that represents the alliance of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
The Kim Dynasty and its military are considered an existential threat to South Korea. A newly adopted strategy of luring Kim Jong Un’s close aides and military, offering at least one billion dollars to stage a coup d’état thus assassinating the North Korean leader along with his family members, may finally become successful, that could end decades-old authoritarian rule in North Korea.
Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un is also becoming increasingly fearful of any coup d’état, deterrent strikes on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, which would result in the ultimate collapse of his regime.
Researchers who have been closely monitoring North Korean issues say there are multiple signs proving Kim Jong Un is becoming growingly concerned about being assassinated, which keeps him awake at night. They have identified six major fears of the North Korean leader, which they suggest can be exploited by the US-ROK alliance and achieve its targets of ending the Kim Dynasty.
According to them, Kim Jong Un is suffering from six major fears, which are – his fear of being assassinated or toppled through a coup d’état, fear of a preemptive strike against his nuclear capabilities, fear of an influx of outside information that reveals the highly developed reality of South Korea and the free, prosperous daily lives of its people; fear of North Korean people learning about his own faults and those of his family which includes information about his mother Ko Young-hee, who was ethnic Korean born in Japan and his father Kim Jong-il’s existence of four wives; fear of reform and opening up; and fear of sudden collapse of his regime that would result in inability of the Korean Workers’ Party (KPA) in remaining as a ruling force.
Kim Jong Un also suffers from a fear of hidden anger within the country, as well as within the military and intelligence establishment.
Due to such fears, Kim Jong Un is continuing the frequent execution and purging of officials and officers – which includes high-ranking military officers as well as important figures in the country’s intelligence agencies.
High-ranking officials of the Korean Workers’ Party are under strict control through monitoring on an hourly basis every day, which is conducted by the Organization and Guidance Department, which is known as the control tower of human rights abuse.
According to a report published by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (CHRNK), “North Korean human rights violations have been condemned by United Nations (UN) agencies, governments, and civil society worldwide. The 2014 Report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea found that crimes against humanity are committed in North Korea, pursuant to policies established at the highest level of the state. The UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly have continued to pass strong annual resolutions on North Korean human rights ever since. The UN Security Council placed North Korean human rights on its agenda in December 2015, 2016, and 2017. In February 2016, the “North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016” became US Public Law No. 114-122, including the first sanctions ever to address North Korean human rights violations”.
The CHRNM further says, “The North Korean regime preserves itself through domestic oppression, aggressive behavior, and international deception. Understanding the inner workings of the Kim regime, particularly the OGD, is key to scrutinizing the chain of command, mechanisms, and lines of responsibility behind the crimes against humanity and other egregious human rights violations perpetrated against the people of North Korea”.
It may be mentioned here that Kim Jong Un enacted a draconian law titled ‘Rejection of Reactionary Thought and Culture Act’ in 2020, which was amended in 2022 to completely block outside information from neighboring South Korea, the United States, or any free press in the world, thus keeping North Korean people totally unreachable to any of such information.
Under this act, South Korean and foreign television channels and radio stations are strictly banned in North Korea. Any citizen caught either watching or listening to these television channels or radio stations or keeping South Korean or American movies, publications, songs, or photographs is pushed into prison for an indefinite period or executed.
Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un’s other serious concern is Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January next year. He fears Trump would offer him an olive branch or saber-rattling, which Kim thinks would ultimately result in the collapse of his rule.
At the same time, he understands that prospects of getting unrestricted aid from Trump or Biden or any other US administration are slim – if not impossible. On the other hand, Kim also is afraid of any tougher measures adopted by Donald Trump, such as missile or drone strikes on North Korean territory. Most importantly, Kim Jong Un may not get support from Russia, China, or Iran once he faces pressure from the Trump administration or missile strikes on North Korean territory.
With all of these reasons of serious concern and fear, Kim Jong Un has already exposed the acute economic crisis in North Korea when he was compelled to shut down a very large number of diplomatic missions throughout the world. North Korean business entities, including ‘Pyongyang Restaurant’ are gradually wrapping-up operations from various countries as those too are unable to generate profits.
Moreover, during the last few decades, a large number of North Koreans deployed in those commercial outlets have defected, whereas many of them were covert agents of Pyongyang.
Such extremely gloomy pictures prove, for Kim Jong Un or the members of the Kim family – remaining in power is gradually becoming difficult, while the latest information about America’s newly adopted strategy of luring close aides and military offering at least one billion dollars to stage a coup d’état thus assassinating the North Korean leader has emerged into a grave fear, particularly when most of the North Koreans, including Kim Jong Un’s close aides, military and intelligence officials too are suffering from acute economic hardship that even is forcing them to survive just with one meal a day.
- Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is an internationally acclaimed multi-award-winning journalist, writer, research scholar, counterterrorism specialist, and Editor of Blitz, a newspaper published from Bangladesh since 2003. He regularly writes for local and international newspapers. Follow him on X @Salah_Shoaib
- VIEWS PERSONAL OF THE AUTHOR
