By Kim Young-jin
The vast majority of North Koreans still regard every utterance by leader Kim Jong-il as law, a recent survey of defectors indicated, in a sign the Stalinist regime is maintaining its iron-fisted rule.
The survey conducted on 80 North Korean defectors, commissioned by the Ministry of Unification, showed 90.5 percent of them took Kim's remarks as law while in the North. Nearly a quarter of them reported being instructed to so do during public lectures.
The poll of defectors also indicated rampant corruption in their homeland, with nearly half believing that bribes regularly influenced court rulings.
Interest in citizen loyalty to the regime has been high given recent popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.
Many analysts say the probability of such a revolt in the North remains low due to its clampdown on outside information and a system of harsh punishment for dissenters. Others argue that an increased amount of goods smuggled in from China, including South Korean DVDs, is helping to breed disillusionment.
Experts say the regime’s ability to curry public support will have a bearing on its process of transferring power from Kim to his youngest son, Jong-un.