Daily NK
Kim Song A
7/5/2007
“In North Korea, the up and coming wealthy class is increasing with each day. They will try to preserve the military regime to keep their property.”
A Russian expert analyzed that while a majority of North Korean citizens are barely sustaining their livelihoods and are suffering from extremely grim realities of life, the rich who are eating and living well are consistently rising and will become the main foundation for the maintenance of North Korea’s military-first ideology and political power.
Sergey Kurbanov, a Korean Studies Research Head at Russia’s University of Petersburg, participated in a seminar held by Seoul University’s Reunification Research Institute on the 4th. “In North Korea, in the minds of “socialist capitalists” which is what the up and coming wealthy class are called, socialist ideology already does not exist.”
Kurbanov pointed out the reality of their living situation, “I have seen students going to China from North Korea and as soon as they arrive in China, they take off their red tie. When they return to the North, they do not even touch the in-flight meals, saying they are no good.”
The newly rising wealthy class who have amassed their money from North Korea’s and China’s trade, etc., despite the fact their confidence in political power has already dissipated, resist regime change because their gains from the Kim Jong Il regime is significant.”
Kurbanov said related to North Korea’s plan for a successor, “As Kim Il Sung remains an eternal Leader, Kim Jong Il will also remain as an eternal general. Even if there is no successor, they will ensure that the regime will work well.”
He said, “Whether it is Kim Jong Il’s son or somebody else is not important. To whomever Kim Jong Il hands the rights of a successor, that power cannot surpass Kim Il Sung nor Kim Jong Il.”
On one hand, Kurbanov upheld regarding North Korea’s military politics, “Historically, this has risen due to the threat received from the Han and Tang Dynasties in China,” and the reign of the military was for the protection of the regime.
He said, “The reason why North Korea has stressed “sovereignty and the juche” is that historically, their mentality of fear is strong regarding threat from the outside. In order to prevent this, the individual, no matter what kind of a difficulty he is going through, can make a sacrifice.”
From such a perspective, he stipulated, “North Korea is not socialist, but a traditional society wearing socialist clothing.”
He emphasized, “Kim Jong Il received the seat of power as a military leader and the Military-first politics is the background for which Kim Jong Il is legally a North Korean leader.”
