by JOHN POWER
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un PHOTO/Wong Maye-E/AP/The Guardian
With a network of political prison camps holding an estimated 120,000 people, North Korea has garnered an infamous reputation for brutally suppressing dissent.
But a recent report based on defector testimony suggests that leader Kim Jong-un may actually enjoy the support of a majority of his citizens.
In a collection of surveys carried out by Seoul National University’s Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, almost 63% of defectors perceived Kim to enjoy majority support in North Korea. That is despite human rights abuses described by a UN Commission of Inquiry last year as being “without any parallel in the contemporary world.”
The participants in the surveys fled the pariah nation between 2010 and last year. Kim assumed power in December 2011, following the death of his father Kim Jong-il.
The release of the report on August 26 came just a day after the two Koreas reached a deal to defuse three weeks of elevated tensions. The latest standoff erupted after a landmine explosion earlier this month, which South Korea blamed on Pyongyang.
“Possibly because of expectations North Koreans had when they thought of the young leader taking power, support was high at the start but slipped a little after 2-3 years,” said Professor Kim Byung-ro, one of the report’s co-authors.
“Why he has received such support is particularly hard to explain,” added Prof. Kim, while noting that defectors have generally perceived strong support for North Korean leaders.
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“That is one of those perennial problems in authoritarian countries, and North Korea is an extreme version of that,” says Park. “In all those countries where you end up with systemic change, it looks like the leader has public support until they don’t.”
Indeed, the report itself contains hints of disgruntlement among citizens. More than 90% of respondents who defected last year blamed either Kim, the ruling party or the regime for the weak economy.
Despite recent gains, North Korea’s GDP remains only about one-fortieth the size of that of neighboring South Korea, according to some estimates.
“I’ve even heard criticism from a few people but generally it’s subtle,” said the long-time visitor who requested anonymity.
“Most people don’t specifically blame any of the leaders by name but refer to ‘the government’ for example,” he said.
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