NK leader signals ’military-first’ policy

By Kim Young-jin

New North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s repeated appearances overseeing military affairs in state media are apparent signals that his fledgling regime will stick to the “military-first” policy of his late father Kim Jong-il in a bid to consolidate support among the elite.

The stance was further clarified Sunday when Pyongyang’s mouthpiece media aired footage of the twenty-something leader shaking hands with officials after the North’s 2009 missile test that put the region on edge.

The footage, aired on what is thought to be the junior Kim’s birthday, was an attempt to dispel concerns in the North that he has not had sufficient training to control its 1.2 million strong military, analysts said. It also showed him inspecting fighter jets and firing exercise as well as navigating a tank.

“In times of transition in the North, the military is the most important power source and Kim Jong-un still needs to consolidate his base,” Yoo Ho-yeol, a North watcher at Korea University said. “It’s his number one priority.”

Pyongyang has moved quickly to anoint Kim as its new leader, making him supreme commander of the army. But concerns linger that his youth and inexperience could be hurdles as he asserts his leadership, despite the wide belief he is being guided by a powerful group of regents.

His father, who oversaw the collapse of the North Korean economy while developing a provocative nuclear program, elevated his son as heir apparent in September 2010 by making him a four-star general and awarding him a high party post.

The footage confirmed that Kim Jong-il had been grooming Jong-un as early as 2009 for the top spot. Still, the few years of tutelage pale in comparison to the decades of preparation afforded to the father.

It followed reports that Kim, on his first inspection tour since his father’s Dec. 17 death, visited a tank division in another effort to show his military involvement.

Professor Yoo said hints of what the new leader’s economic policy might be will likely wait until he is more confident in his leadership.

It was also the latest signal Kim would continue developing the nuclear program despite international pressure to dismantle it in return for massive aid. Shortly after Kim’s death, he was exulted by state media for his efforts to build a “nuclear state.”

Still, regional players are in close consultations over how to resume six-party denuclearization talks in an apparent bid to at least curb the North’s ambitions after it revealed a uranium enrichment program in 2010.

The North walked away from the talks ― which also involve the United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China ― the previous year over international sanctions for its nuclear and missile tests.

Kim’s death came just as Washington had made a small but meaningful breakthrough, with Pyongyang reportedly agreeing to suspend its uranium enrichment program in return for 240,000 tons of food, during talks in Beijing.

Washington says it had contact with North Korean officials directly after the announcement on Dec. 19 of Kim’s death over the possible nutritional aid. Reports now say Pyongyang called for a larger amount of aid and for inclusion of grains.

The bolstering of Kim Jong-un’s military credentials had been underway before his father’s death. Diplomats who worked in Pyongyang say North Korean officials believe him to have masterminded the deadly 2010 shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.