Amid all the uncertainties about North Korea’s unpredictable young leader, Kim Jong Un, one thing is clear: he has an unrelenting focus on security – his own personal security and the authoritarian regime’s security from external pressure. For personal security and to consolidate his hold on power, Kim – in power for nearly four years — has carried out what appear to be the most extensive and violent purges in the country’s history. For regime security, Kim has pushed the country’s nuclear and missile programs to new levels, aiming for systems intended to deter anyone tempted to use military force against the North and to make the country’s retaliatory and attack capabilities more secure.
As always, however, the regime’s stability is an open question, and some of Kim’s actions may be laying the groundwork for dangerous miscalculation that could jeopardize Kim’s leadership and regional security.
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