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November 25, 2010 | Behind the Skirmish: North Korea's Dynastic Succession

Niall Mulchinock: Recent belligerent actions on the Korean peninsula are the result of the ongoing succession process in Pyongyang. Kim Jong-il is trying to to give his inexperienced son some credence. In response, the US and its allies need to begin to put real pressure on China regarding this issue and NATO needs to deepen its partnership with the Republic of Korea.

January 18, 2012 | North Korea & China: Succession Parallels

Kim Jong Un may suffer the same fate as Mao’s appointed successor in 1976, Hua Guofeng. ++ Mao and Kim Jong Il chose weak figures to succeed them for fear of being outshone in their lifetime. ++ North Korea’s leader has no independent power base or political experience but his anointment will protect his life in any coup d’etat. ++ Potential leaders who could shape future policy, as Deng Xiaoping

September 30, 2010 | Dynastic Change in the Hermit Kingdom

“Commander Kim”, son of North Korea’s ailing leader Kim Jong-il was raised yesterday to four-star general by his father and appears set to be heir of the autocratic dictator. ++ However, the succession may not be as smooth as hoped, as elements within the North Korean Workers’ Party have expressed doubt about the direction of the country recently. ++ This is not just an

July 7, 2009 | The World Must Be Ready If North Korean Regime Collapses

While North Korea’s autocrat, Kim Jong Il, prepares
for a transition of power, international experts are racking their brains to
determine all possible future political scenarios in the region. Will Kim Jong
Il’s successor establish a more humanitarian system or will the entire regime
come crashing down on the heels of its current iron-fisted dictator. These are
certainly only two of the

February 11, 2009 | North Korea, Reform or Collapse

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il’s health remains under speculation and with it, the fate of the country. ++ Kim has proved to be a “lousy leader:” he failed to implement the fiscal reform needed to prevent the 96-98 famine and crucially, he has failed to choose a successor. If he dies now, the country may well collapse as factional interests take hold. ++ His last chance lies

April 25, 2007 | Chicago Tribune Finds UN Giving Dollars to Dictators

After the UN oil-for-food scandal, it seemed UN aid programs couldn’t possibly sink lower in public opinion. Enter North Korea which, according to the Chicago Tribune, has taken $150 million in hard currency from the UN Development Program in Pyongyang. UN officials now promise a full audit, but the fact that this “development aid” was used during the period when the North Korean nuclear weapons

April 12, 2007 | Robert D. Kaplan on When North Korea Falls

North Korean nuclear tests are symptoms of an unheralded threat: not the exertion of North Korean strength, but the prospective collapse of Kim Jong Il’s government. Weakness in Pyongyang could result in desperation, a WMD attack on the South, or full-on military engagement with Seoul. Drawing on this possibility of collapse, Robert D. Kaplan discusses opportunities for:

1. Reconstruction and