By Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi
This month should have done much to reveal the true colors of Kim Jong-un’s leadership. The trouble is, we’re left with more questions than answers.
The Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) conference, the Supreme People’s Assembly, and the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-sung’s birth were essentially grand inauguration ceremonies for Kim Jong-un. The highlight of the centennial anniversary on Sunday wasn’t so much the massive military parade, but the first-ever public speech by Kim Jong-un, who recently acquired the official titles “First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea,” and the “First Chairman of the National Defense Commission (NDC).”
The bulk of the speech delivered by the nervous-looking Kim was full of bravado about the might of the Korean People’s Army and the political system. Economic issues got some mention, though in no way proportionate to the seriousness of the socio-economic privations in the country. In sum, the fundamental structure of the state remains unchanged.
Read the full story at The Diplomat