Political Instability in North Korea

Rumors abound in China regarding a possible coup d'état underway in North Korea. Some reports claim Kim Jong-un was assassinated in his home, others that he's attempting to flee the country. It is possible, however, that absolutely nothing has happened.

If there's a coup d'etat, it's probably a military one. I think that would make things worse, to be honest. At least Jong Un is on record (when he was 18) as being displeased with the gap between his family's wealth and the North Korean people's.

It's hard to say what really goes on in North Korea, rumours can spread like wildfire because the government shrouds itself in mystery. Quite a few people believed Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack in about 2004 if I recall correctly, so these sorts of rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt.

RedSun wrote:If there's a coup d'etat, it's probably a military one. I think that would make things worse, to be honest. At least Jong Un is on record (when he was 18) as being displeased with the gap between his family's wealth and the North Korean people's.

Even if Jong-un was/is displeased with such disparities, that doesn't necessarily mean that he would be supportive of policies that would address the problem in a progressive (let alone socialist) fashion. In fact, given his Western educational background, I would assume that any economic or political reforms he would be interested in pursuing would most likely be neoliberal in character.

RedSun wrote:If there's a coup d'etat, it's probably a military one. I think that would make things worse, to be honest. At least Jong Un is on record (when he was 18) as being displeased with the gap between his family's wealth and the North Korean people's.

It wouldn't be surprising if North Korea eventually becomes an explicit military dictatorship à la Myanmar, abandoning any pretenses of being a socialist republic.

@Admin: Very true.

@Celtiberian: God I hope not. Isn't that exactly what happened in Myanmar? This is the problem with the Songun policy...

I am pretty sure the only reason this particular rumor gained any ground is due to the use of Twitter by those who wanted it to gain attention.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/us-officials-say-kim-jong-un-assassination-rumors-untrue/

The US government is claiming that the rumors are untrue, though that isn't saying much.