Kim Jong Il: Power And Authority

In many authoritarian states and dictatorships, the concept of power and authority is emphasized greatly. Power is defined by Magstadt as, “the ability of governments, and of governmental leaders, to make and enforce rules and to influence the behavior of individuals or groups by rewarding or punishing certain behaviors.” One major leader in North Korea, Kim Jong Il, needed power in order enforce and implement policies that satisfies his own personal interests. In addition to power, authority is another major concept for the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il. Authority is defined as, “a condition in which power is exercised through established institutions and according to rules that are freely accepted by the people as right and proper.”

As most dictators, Kim Jong Il placed emphasis on gaining and maintaining power within North Korea. His dominance and overwhelming pride allowed him to gain him absolute political control and power in the 20th century. One of the major aspects that he focused on during his reign was on the military. The military of North Korea was considered the foundation of North Korea’s power. Even though he already had much political power through connections with his father, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il did not have service experience within the military. Although, some scholars believe that this hindered his leadership, Kim Jong Il’s allies within the military helped him to gain acceptance as the new leader of North Korea by the military officials. In 1991, Kim Jong Il was named the Supreme Commander of the Army and had control of all the necessary tools he need in order to seize total power of North

This event helped keep the citizens loyal to Kim Jong Il, which also allowed him to maintain his power and authority over North Korea in the late 20th century. In the article, “Korea’s Third Kim: Will Anything Change?,” Naoko Aoki discusses about the situation in the North Korea since the transfer of power from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un. The purpose of the article was to inform the other parts of the world about the possibility of North Korea changing from their traditional methods. In this article, it talked about the various conditions and policies that were enforced during the leadership of Kim Jong Il and his son, Kim Jong Un, and their effects on the nation of North Korea. The information from this article is most useful for researching about the different policies and methods used to rule North Korea during the reigns of Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un. It also provides an analysis on the effects of certain policies, like the Military First Policy, and methods on North Korea and its neighboring