{"id":8795,"date":"2023-10-29T05:15:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T04:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northkoreainfo.com\/?p=8795"},"modified":"2023-10-29T05:15:25","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T04:15:25","slug":"who-became-the-leader-of-north-korea-in-1994","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northkoreainfo.com\/who-became-the-leader-of-north-korea-in-1994\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Became The Leader Of North Korea In 1994"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Introduction <\/h2>\n

Kim Jong-il, the eldest son of North Korea’s founding leader, Kim Il-sung, became the leader of North Korea in 1994. Kim Il-sung was the founder and sole ruler of North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. After his father’s death, Kim Jong-il assumed power over the nation. His style of leadership was to pursue a commitment to North Korea’s sustainability and self-reliance. He was the first leader to introduce a “military first” policy in the government, which focused heavily on the nation’s defense and economy. Under his rule, North Korea conducted several nuclear tests and maintained an expansive nuclear weapons stockpile. He was also a master manipulator of international diplomacy, manipulating different regional powers to his own ends.<\/p>\n

Background Information <\/h2>\n

Kim Jong-il was born to Kim Il-sung in 1941 and was educated in the Soviet Union. He was chosen to be his father’s successor when Kim Il-sung realized the country couldn’t survive without a strong government and a leader. He was seen as a hard-liner and a harsh leader, and his rule was characterized by repression and isolationism. He reinforced his father’s militarised economy and isolationism, closed down communications with the outside world, and drastically limited foreign investment. North Korea also risked becoming a pariah state as a result of its self-imposed isolation and Kim Jong-il’s uncompromising attitude to foreign governments.<\/p>\n

Relevant Data<\/h2>\n

Under Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s economy floundered and its population suffered from severe food shortages. This led to one of the worst famines in human history, which caused the death of an estimated three million people. The embargo primarily targeted North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme, which Kim Jong-il had continued to develop despite worldwide condemnation. In 2006, the country conducted its first nuclear test in response to UN pressure, worsening its international isolation.
\nKim Jong-il’s rule was also marked by diplomatic initiatives. He made several visits to China and South Korea, which had a significant impact on North Korea’s relationship with the two countries. He also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2002 and struck a deal with the United States in 2008 in which North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear ambitions in exchange for economic aid.<\/p>\n

Expert Perspectives<\/h2>\n

Experts agree that Kim Jong-il was an authoritarian ruler and a master manipulator of international politics. According to Aidan Foster-Carter, an Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology and Modern Korea at Leeds University, “He was a tough negotiator, often able to hold off the US and other great powers from imposing their will on the DPRK through features like brinkmanship, flattery and even brinkmanship in reverse.”
\nMichele Flournoy, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security and former US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Obama administration, describes Kim Jong-il as a “Machiavellian leader” who used a “strong mixture of carrots and sticks” to maintain his grip on power. She believes Kim Jong-il was a master at “sanding the edges” of his ideologies and regime, gambling that small changes in policy and attitude could reap major benefits.
\nJohn Delury, Assistant Professor of Chinese Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, calls Kim Jong-il a master of “brinkmanship” and a “black swan” in international relations. He explains that Kim Jong-il “traded on his regime’s reputation as a ‘pariah state’ to gain attention and extract concessions from other states in the region.”<\/p>\n

Own Insights<\/h2>\n