North Korean Elites "Disillusioned" with Kim Jong Un's "Impulsive Behavior": High-level Defector

News Summary

North Korean elites are becoming “disillusioned” with Kim Jong Un’s "impulsive behavior," according to Ri Il Gyu, a high-level defector advocating for more efforts to destabilize the Kim regime.

Mr. Ri, a former political counselor at North Korea's Embassy in Cuba, stated, “They’ve become disillusioned with the regime due to Kim Jong-un’s impulsive behavior.” He elaborated that the regime's practice of punishing minor errors with dismissals and even executions has fostered an “atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty.”

He called for the South Korean government to intensify its efforts to accelerate the collapse of the Kim regime from within by implementing targeted information campaigns inside the country and a plan to persuade overseas diplomats to "build a force for change." Additionally, he emphasized the importance of South Korea conveying the message that all North Koreans under the regime were "a slave to the Kim family."

Commentary

Mr. Ri's testimony sheds light on not only the current instability of the Kim regime but also key strategies for the collapse of the regime. The shift in attitude among North Korean elites towards Kim Jong Un provides compelling evidence that the end of the regime is approaching.

As Ri stated, the South Korean government should prioritize targeted information campaigns aimed at North Korean elites, including overseas diplomats. Like the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, 70 years of war between the two Koreas can be ended by the collapse of the Kim regime from within through targeted information operations and the promotion of a message of freedom.