Continuities and Changes in the Power Structure and the Role of Party Organizations under the Kim Jong-il

책 소개

Ⅰ. Introduction In the early 1990s, North Korea faced with a drastically different external environment in the wake of repercussions of the collapse and/or transformation of socialist systems in other regions. During the same period, it was experiencing numerous domestic difficulties, as well. Furthermore, North Korea’s attempts to improve relations with South Korea and other neighbors in the early 1990s were frustrated owing to its own nuclear ambitions, while its economy rapidly deteriorated. Just as the North Korean nuclear issue was headed toward a temporary resolution by way of the 1994 Agreed Framework, Kim Il-sung who used to be the pillar of internal cohesion, passed away, and the economic hardship exacerbated further. Under the weight of these circumstances, North Korea’s traditional ruling structure was thrown into a crisis situation. Extreme situations seemed to call for extreme measures.Ⅰ. Introduction Continuities and Changes in the Power Structure and the Role of Party Organizations under the Kim Jong-il’s Reign In addition to relying on such extreme measures as public executions, tightening of security agencies and deployment of soldiers for domestic stability, North Korea began to emphasize from 1995 such slogans as the “Ideology of Red Banners,” the “Arduous March,” and the “Military-first Politics.” Ever since, the “military-first politics,” a policy seeking to enhance the prestige and expand the scope of activity of the military, became a major political tenet in North Korea. Subsequently, in the process of revising the constitution in 1998 a new structure of government centered on the National Defense Commission (NDC) and its Chairman was established. The new constitution also put emphasis on the responsibilities of the Cabinet on economic matters. In July 2002, North Korea announced the so-called “July 1 Economic Management Improvement Measures (hereinafter ‘July 1 Economic Measures’).” In October, however, the North Korean nuclear issue began to resurface. Throughout this series of events, North Korea has incessantly emphasized the importance of national cohesion and the imperative of allegiance to Kim Jong-il. But, it would be reasonable to assume that some changes would have taken place in the party- government-military relationships as well as in the structure of power elite, especially the middle and lower echelons of the elite class. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the political changes that have taken place during the Kim Jong-il era. This paper will examine the impact of social changes brought on by the economic hardship in the 1990s; how they affected the political process and ruling structure; and how the North Korean authorities responded to these changes. At the same time, we will analyze the power structure, the power elite, and the party-military relationship, as well as organizational changes, if any, within the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP). Chapter 2 deals with the political power structure in the Kim Jong-il era under the aegis of “military-first politics.” The background of the appearance of the new political power structure will be explored in Chapter 3, and Chapter 4 will analyze, given the ‘military-first politics, the relationship between the National Defense Commission and the KWP Central Military Affairs Committee. In Chapter 5, we will examine the changing roles and functions of various levels of KWP, the central party, provincial branches, and party elementary organizations.

리뷰 남기기

로그인하면 리뷰를 남길 수 있어요.

리뷰 0개