hankyoreh

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, Staff Writer

The Workers' Party of Korea official newspaper Rodong Sinmun raised the curtain on the "Kim Jong-un" era Thursday, referring to the Central Military Commission vice chairman as the "great inheritor of the feats of the Juche revolution" and "a superlative leader of the party and military and people."

The newspaper dedicated the entire front page of its Thursday edition to an editorial titled "Great Comrade Kim Jong-un Will Live Forever in the Hearts of Our Military and People." The editorial read, "We must observe the instructions left behind by Comrade Kim Jong-il and firmly walk the path of the Juche Revolution and Songun Revolution."

The editorial also said, "We must unite, unite, and unite further around the great Comrade Kim Jong-un and faithfully receive his leadership."

Analysts said that in making reference to the instructions of Kim Jong-il, the editorial suggested the possibility of Pyongyang navigating a sensitive transition of leadership through government based on these injunctions. This marks the first time the country has made official reference to Kim's instructions since his death.

Over the years, the Rodong Sinmun has served as a channel for Pyongyang to express its official position on major issues.

If the country does make official the use of Kim's instructions as a guiding principle in its rule, it will be the second such instance since the death of Kim Il-sung in July 1994. At that time, Kim Jong-il used rule based on the instructions of his father to navigate the "March of Tribulation" that stemmed from Kim Il-sung's death and severe economic woes.

The newspaper also said the country would have to steadfastly maintain the so-called "Baekdu bloodline" for the succession of power based on Kim Jong-il's instructions. This indicates a message of adhering to the exclusive ideas and leadership of the line from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il and on to Kim Jong-un.

University of North Korean Studies professor Yang Moo-jin said, "Realistically, there is no alternative to the so-called 'Baekdu bloodline' for somewhere who can represent and guide the North."

"There may well be others in the country who dream of taking power, but they will have their work cut out for them challenging for supreme authority in a country with a divide-and-rule arrangement and checks among the power organizations," Yang explained.

The emphasis on "Songun," or "military first" policy in Kim Jong-il's instructions is also noteworthy. The Rodong Sinmun stated that the people of North Korea should maintain the spirit of emphasis on weapons and the military in order to preserve the "achievements of the socialist system and revolution."

The newspaper also stressed the importance of economic development, noting that Kim's instructions included the building of a powerful economy and improvements in the lives of North Koreans.

Pyongyang has also been taking a more active stance on dialogue with Washington recently, with a tradeoff of preliminary steps toward denuclearization for food aid.

Peace Network representative Cheong Wook-sik said, "As Kim Jong-un will be well aware, Kim Jong-il pledged improvements in citizen lives to the people, and this is also of the utmost importance in the stability of the regime."

Cheong said such improvements would be a "touchstone for the success of the government based on Kim Jong-il's instructions and the Kim Jong-un regime."

Kim's instructions also made reference to inter-Korean relations. The editorial stressed the need to achieve autonomous reunification of the fatherland through thorough implementation of the "three major charters for reunification of the fatherland" and "North-South Joint Statement" as guiding principles.

Some observers said that even if the use of Kim's instructions as a guiding principle for rule is made official, it will only be for a relatively short time compared to 1994, when such government lasted for more than three years.

Yang Moo-jin said Kim Jong-il "had no reason to rush because the transmission of power was complete, but Kim Jong-un is still in the process of taking over, so there is a chance that he will finish the rule based on Kim's instructions in about a year and then begin his own rule."

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