North Korea & China: Succession Parallels
Jonathan Levine, Tsinghua University | January 18, 2012
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 did, are Kim Jong Eun's aunt Kim Kyong-hui, her husband Jang Song-taek, and Army Chief of Staff General Ri Yong-ho.
