“Brilliant Comrade” to Succeed “Dear Leader” in North Korea

Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Ever-Victorious Iron-Willed Brilliant Commander (photo: Elijah Wallechinsky)

Since it was reported weeks ago that North Korea’s Kim Jong Il was preparing to hand over power to his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, experts have wondered what title the 26-year-old would take on as part of the cult of personality tradition that has surrounded the country’s familial dictatorship. North Korea’s first autocrat, Kim Il Sung, had many sobriquets, including “The Ever-Victorious Iron-Willed Brilliant Commander,” “The Red Son of the Oppressed People of the World,” “The Peerless Patriot,” and “The Greatest Leader of Our Time.” However, he was (and is still) most commonly referred to as “The Great Leader.” His son, Kim Jong Il, was dubbed “The Glorious Sun of the Twenty-First Century” and “The Leader of Steel,” although he eventually settled on being called simply “The Dear Leader.” Now, the next-in-line, Kim Jong Un, is expected to go by “Brilliant Comrade,” according to U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials.

 
The “Brilliant Comrade,” or “Yongmyong-han Dongji” as he is now known in North Korea, is the youngest of three sons of the current dictator, who has been ailing since reportedly suffering a stroke last August. Jong Un is said to have studied at the International School in Berne, Switzerland, in the 1990s, and is proficient in English, according to reports.
 
Analysts have said that Jong Un’s rise to power may explain why North Korea is planning a third nuclear test, despite what has already been intense international criticism of the regime’s earlier nuclear and missile tests. The next nuclear test might be seen as a way to establish the young leader’s credentials with North Korean military leaders.
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky
 
NKorean Leader's Son Is 'Brilliant Comrade' (by Vijay Joshi, Associated Press)

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