Kims

Jan. 5 (Asia Today) — The U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could reinforce North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s belief that nuclear weapons are essential for regime survival and make denuclearization talks harder, a South Korean scholar said.

Im Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the U.S. strike and Maduro’s detention would send Pyongyang two messages: an “existential threat” and a perceived justification for clinging to nuclear arms, according to the analysis.

U.S. officials said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into custody in a covert operation and transported to the United States to face criminal charges.

Im said North Korea has long cited the fates of leaders such as Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gadhafi in Libya as warnings tied to its own survival calculus and that the Maduro case would likely deepen distrust of denuclearization negotiations inside North Korea.

He said seeing Washington’s precision strike capabilities could further fuel Pyongyang’s argument that only nuclear weapons can deter U.S. military power, adding that North Korea may accelerate steps such as expanding tactical nuclear deployment, improving second-strike capability and tightening internal control through fear-based politics.

North Korea, which has maintained ties with Venezuela since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974, condemned the U.S. strikes on Sunday as an infringement on sovereignty, according to state media.

Im also said North Korea’s ballistic missile launches Saturday could carry a message aimed at the United States, as the regime continues to emphasize self-reliance in defense amid regional and global tensions.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Dec. 18 (Asia Today) — North Korean media increasingly refer to Kim Jong Un as general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party rather than chairman of the State Affairs Commission, a shift a South Korean government-affiliated research report said reflects a further consolidation of party-centered rule.

The National Institute for Strategic Studies said in a report released Thursday that the 8th Central Committee, which has functioned as North Korea’s main decision-making body over the past five years, has reinforced a governance model centered on the Workers’ Party as the country prepares for its 9th Party Congress, expected in early 2026.

Senior research fellow Kim In-tae wrote that the committee’s efforts to regularize and institutionalize party leadership organs resemble Kim Il Sung-era governance from the 1960s through the 1980s. He said the policy decision-making structure shows a more pronounced concentration of the “single-leader system,” according to the report.

Kim said the increased use of the Workers’ Party title suggests the regime has further strengthened party-centered state management.

The report said the 8th Central Committee, launched in 2021, held 13 plenary meetings at an average interval of about 4.6 months, more than double the number held under the 7th Central Committee, which convened six plenary meetings.

It also said the volume of agenda items submitted for discussion rose sharply, from 14 items during the 7th term to 68 items during the 8th term.

The report contrasted Kim Jong Il’s “military-first” approach under the National Defense Commission during the economic crisis known as the “Arduous March” in the 1990s and 2000s with Kim Jong Un’s return to a Workers’ Party-centered governance structure, which it said has been further refined.

On the second five-year plan for national economic development expected to be presented at the next party congress, the report projected it would be framed as a stage of “qualitative development” aimed at advancing what it called “comprehensive socialist development” across the economy.

The report said the period leading up to a party congress, typically held every five years, is a crucial political season in North Korea’s system. It said Kim is likely to use the congress to reinforce his leadership structure while pursuing economic development goals, nuclear-centered military capabilities and international standing.

– Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.