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| In this May 9, 2018, photo provided by the North Korean government, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a meeting at Workers' Party of Korea headquarters in Pyongyang, North Korea. AP-Yonhap |
By Kim Bo-eun
Speculation is rising that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is facing a setback in his plan to focus on economic development by giving up his country's nuclear weapons, due to opposition from hardliners in the military.
After some U.S. media reports, citing intelligence sources, claimed the North was secretly continuing its nuclear activities, suspicions emerged that the hardliners who are against denuclearization were behind this. These have arisen as the denuclearization negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea have been stalled for weeks.
Some local media reported that during his summit with President Moon Jae-in in April, Kim conveyed his frustration with the military hardliners. Cheong Wa Dae refused to confirm these reports, saying it is diplomatic custom not to disclose conversations between heads of states.
U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton said in a recent interview that Kim said during the Washington-Pyongyang summit in Singapore, "The two of us need to get a picture together, I need to show my hardliners you're not such a bad guy."
Some experts even predict Kim may not control the military fully. Gordon Chang, a U.S. columnist and China expert, told Newsmax, "There are a lot of things to suggest he doesn't really fully control what goes on in the military ― it's something we need to consider."
It is also said the North may replace Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the North's Workers' Party, with Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho as the counterpart to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who is now heading to Pyongyang for follow-up talks.
While Kim Yong-chol had been Pompeo's opposite until the June 12 summit between the North Korean leader and Trump, the joint statement reached at the summit stated Pompeo and an unnamed "relevant high-level North Korean official" would seek to hold follow-up talks, implying his counterpart could change.
The possible change has also been linked to the North Korean leader's difficulties with the military. Kim Yong-chol, who has a military background, is seen to hold hard-line views against the U.S.
Professor Kim Hyun-wook of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy said this was a possibility.
"We can assume conservatives in North Korea could be concerned about their leader's shift in stance on the state's nuclear program," he said. "An acquaintance of mine, who took part in talks with former government officials and security experts in North Korea, said the North Koreans mentioned they were concerned about the state's future."
Kim also said the delay in follow-up denuclearization talks may have been due to "internal voices of military hardliners."
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, disagreed.
"Considering North Korea's power structure, Kim will be in full control of the military," he said.
Yang also expected Kim Yong-chol would remain Pompeo's counterpart for the time being. "This is because North Korea places importance on those who represent the state," he said.
