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China-Japan-Koreas
Sonny Boy 'to share power with his uncle'
2011-12-21
Pudgy Kim Jong-un, North Korea's new leader, will share power with an uncle and the military after the death of his father Kim Jong-il as the isolated country shifts to collective rule from strongman dictatorship, according to reports.

The source, with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing, told Reuters that the military, which is trying to develop a nuclear arsenal, has pledged allegiance to the untested Kim Jong-un who takes over the family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since it was founded after world War Two.

The source also said Beijing was only notified of Kim's death earlier on Monday, the same day that North Korean state television broadcast the news. Kim died on Saturday.

The situation in North Korea appeared stable after the military gave its backing to Kim's son and successor, Kim Jong-un, the source said.
Not that anyone at Roooters would have any insight into 'stability' in Nork-land, and so can't judge whether the source is just blowing smoke up their collective hind ends...
"It's very unlikely," the source said when asked about the possibility of a military coup. "The military has pledged allegiance to Kim Jong-un.
Posted by:tipper

#11  See WORLDTRIBUNE > [Significant] EROSION OF NORTH KOREAN MILITARY DISCIPLINE PROMPTED REPEATED WARNINGS FROM KIM [Kim Jong-Il], since the latter first assumed power according to SOKOR Sources.

Poor economy + lack of food was penetrating the lower ransk of the DPRK Armed Forces.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-12-21 21:07  

#10  Himself or by Troika, the immediate priority is halting the spread of famine to the DPRK Armed Forces, followed next the rest.

IFF THE ABOVE CAN'T OR "WON'T" BE STOPPED, ESPEC DUE TO FEAR OF CONSEQUENCE TO PERSONAL = REGIME POWER + CONTROL, THEN IMO THE rok + US-WEST HAD BETTER PREP FOR THE SERIOUS TO CATASROPHIC MIL INCIDENTS THAT KIMMIE DODN'T GET TO DO BEFORE HE CROAKED.

The USS "Mighty/Holy George" + sister CVNS aren't out of danger yet just because Big Daddy Kimmie passed.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2011-12-21 19:24  

#9  Seems they did learn a little from Stalin: Troika.
Posted by: OldSpook   2011-12-21 14:33  

#8  I think Pudgy is just a figurehead. Auntie and Uncle need a figurehead to deflect attention and keep the adoring masses in line, since (I suspect) Auntie and Uncle have the collective charisma of a syphilitic camel.
Posted by: Steve White   2011-12-21 12:55  

#7  Sonny is gonna need to hire food tasters. Lots and lots of food tasters...
Posted by: PBMcL   2011-12-21 12:03  

#6  Auntie is a 4-star general. Uncle runs the Defense Council.

Fat boy's survival is quite questionable.
Posted by: mojo   2011-12-21 11:07  

#5  They will not share power. His Uncle is in charge plain and simple. His Uncle has deep connections to the military where as Kim does not even know a single flag officer. The state will be a military dictatorship with China's help.
Posted by: newc   2011-12-21 10:29  

#4  Not surprising. Actually kinda smart to keep a military take over from happening.
Posted by: DarthVader   2011-12-21 09:23  

#3  Jang Song-thaek, 65, brother-in-law of Kim Jong-il and the younger Kim's uncle, was named in 2009 to the National Defence Commission, the supreme leadership council Kim Jong-il led as head of the military state.

Interesting, *not* a Kim. Either it's true, or this guy is about to become a cautionary lesson in not trying for power via the dubious power of rumor. We'll know via his severed head or lack thereof in a few days, no doubt.
Posted by: Mitch H.   2011-12-21 09:17  

#2  Maybe not a rumor. For all intents and purposes, Nork is a military dictatorship, with the rest of the country just a support mechanism.(*)

Kim Jong Il was very wasteful of "military resources", and prone to strategic and tactical mistakes in directing the military. Military men do not appreciate being ordered to do things against their better judgment. Especially if it is likely to end up with a major and humiliating defeat.

If this is the case, I suspect that "The Great Suck" is little more than a puppet. It also implies that the military will soon be purging a lot of the more parasitic government functionaries who were in power strictly because of their relationship to the dear deceased.

(*) Oddly enough, the Soviet Union was not a military dictatorship, because Stalin saw in the US example of the value of "balance of power" in stabilizing government. So the communist party, the army, and the KGB divided up power, and when one branch became too strong, the other two would cut it down to size.

Unfortunately for them, this system ended with the ascension of Andropov, a KGB man, who set the course of the country to KGB domination, which was undermined by Yeltsin, but restored by Putin. Today, once again, the Kremlin is an agency of the FSB, despite pretensions to democracy.

Military dictatorships have their own rules, and only the wiser ones tend to survive.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2011-12-21 08:57  

#1  Meaningless rumor.
Posted by: gromky   2011-12-21 05:42  

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