The month December 2021 marked the 10th anniversary of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s ascent to power following death of his father, the late Kim Jong Il, on 17 December 2011. He ruled from 1994 to 2011 and died of a heart attack at the age of 69. At that time when the 20 years+ young assumed the leadership of the authoritarian state, doubts were raised almost immediately by North Korean watchers if the young leader had the real potential to rule and thus widely felt that his rule will be short-lived. However, much to the surprise to his doubters, Kim Jong-un soon launched the ruthless path to spread fear to consolidate his control over the regime. In the process, Kim is now safely placed to rule for a long time. At this point of time, it is time to evaluate his decade of rule, what he has achieved, where he has failed and what appears to be in the store for the future.
Assessing Kim Jong Un’s 10-year Rule and Possible Future (Rajaram Panda, Vivekananda International Foundation)
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