# A Possibility: Is Kim Jong Un purging the old guard to bring progress? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 19, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717 "2013-12-19T13:37:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Farin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e79b87/32.png) [@Farin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farin)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/21 "2013-12-20T16:28:08Z")
Of course, there is also [this](http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/12/485_148322.html) take of it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/22 "2013-12-20T16:39:33Z")
> [@Farin](#): > > According to [this](http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2013-12/19/c_132981813.htm), the Kaesong industrial complex is still going and might even possibly, potentially, at some point (additional qualifier, additional qualifier) open up to non South Korean labor or presence, even without Jang being the heading person of the economic divide. > > Is it possible that Kim is moving to modernize North Korea and wanted to purge those that would stand in the way? I don’t think so. Jang was one of those who wanted NK to economically liberalize on the Chinese model. If Kim Jong-un wanted to go that way, he would have kept Jang around. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/23 "2013-12-20T17:37:13Z")
> [@Farin](#): > > But if Jang was the primary driver of the Kaesong complex, as it’s been generally held in the media we have access to, wouldn’t the Kaesong’s progress suffer as a result of his summary execution? > … This would be true if Lil Kim actually believed that Jang was some kind of traitor trying to damage the NK economy or the people, because then Kim would start to under whatever change’s Jang was responsible for. But Kim doesn’t actually believe this. He’s just pushing the guy out and giving one of his people Jang’s piece of the pie, er more like “crumbs of the pie.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/24 "2013-12-22T01:17:20Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it turned out that it’s not KJU doing any of this, but rather his aunt or one of her close relatives. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/25 "2013-12-22T04:12:33Z")
He’s basically kind of stupid. I suspect in his world what he’s done doesn’t seem that outrageous to him…not much different than putting a dog to sleep who wouldn’t stop peeing on the carpet. I don’t think he has any idea of normal behaviour, and I suspect if he learned much of anything substantive during his stint in the western world, it was from movies. We haven’t got a deep but demented thinker here. We’ve just got a plain old bozo with remarkable power and unchecked narcissism. He’s really quite the ass, and I’m fascinated at how some societal structures let a turkey like this be king. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/26 "2013-12-22T04:15:36Z")
He’s basically kind of stupid. I suspect in his world what he’s done doesn’t seem that outrageous to him…not much different than putting a dog to sleep who wouldn’t stop peeing on the carpet. I don’t think he has any idea of normal behaviour, and I suspect if he learned much of anything substantive during his stint in the western world, it was from movies. He’s really quite the ass, and I’m fascinated at how some societal structures let a bozo like this be king. There’s no chance he’s bright enough to last very long. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/27 "2013-12-22T04:26:47Z")
Well said. Well said. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/28 "2013-12-22T10:10:13Z")
The fat boy’s “progressive” implementations: Jumbotron in public (have no idea what it’s function) Water Park Ski Resort (for which nobody will sell him lifts due to embargo(s)) Other toys for the young and elite On the plus side, he has paved roads, built new rail lines. Rumor has it he is selling the NK gold resrves (450 or 600 oz.) to China to finance these toys. Had he spen the money on farm equipment, encouraged foreign investment, allowed private ownership, etc, I might believe him to be “progressive” (by NNK standards). The uncle he just murdered was the one who was spearheading the move to follow the Chinese experience of opening the country to foreign ownership. That was difficult with a “Supreme Leader” vowing to kill every last potential investor. Who would invest? US (which they dream of slaughtering? SK? Japan? Ditto and ditto. That leaves China and Russia. The Chinese don’t like or trust him, and the Russians are busy re-creating the USSR. Their only strategic value is rare metals (whatever the term). Now, China is the source of 90% or so of these - it seems the mountains which hold them cross the border into NK. How much would it cost to dig a mine to extract them? Are you going to invest that when the head of economic development is summarily executed (10 days from 'Senior Adviser" to “dog for all eternity” and dead). And all his team have been recalled from China for loyalty testing. Were I one of them, NK would be the last place I’d want to be. If he’s betting the country’s little remaining wealth (gold reserves) on his ability to attract massive foreign investment (his “special economic zones” along the Chinese border) he just destroyed his best bet. Attn China: expect 10 million visitors, none of whom are bringing their own food ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/29 "2013-12-23T02:53:55Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > . . . and the Russians are busy re-creating the USSR. Say what? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/30 "2013-12-23T03:10:32Z")
So much for the OP’s touchy feely niceness … > [@](#): > > AFTER having his uncle Jang Song-Thaek executed, Kim Jong-un has reportedly rounded up ‘hundreds’ of people connected to the former second in command. > > The claims have been published in a variety of newspapers including the [Daily Mail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2527782/Kim-Jong-Uns-troops-round-family-executed-uncle.html), which reported that hundreds of people were taken away by military police from the Pyongchong area of the capital Pyongyang. > > The source said both close and distant relations of Jang Song-Thaek had been taken away, including relatives connected to his father. [http://www.news.com.au/world/kim-jongun-orders-rounding-up-of-people-connected-to-jang-song-thaek/story-fndir2ev-1226788759210](http://www.news.com.au/world/kim-jongun-orders-rounding-up-of-people-connected-to-jang-song-thaek/story-fndir2ev-1226788759210) ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/31 "2013-12-23T03:14:14Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Say what? Watch Putin - and watch him like a hawk. That dance with Ukraine was one he had to win Ukraine is the Russian Empire/Soviet Union/Russian Empire II’ bread basket - no way in hell he was going to let it go. Remember that Putin is (old-line) KGB. And the term for the stuff of value in DPRK - “rare earths” For those wanting to follow the Koreas: South: [http://english.chosun.com/](http://english.chosun.com/) North: [http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm](http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm) The difference in the web pages says a whole bunch Analysis: [http://38north.org/](http://38north.org/) ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717/32 "2013-12-24T20:28:10Z")
I’ll take bets against the proposition. The only trick is figuring out the details of the bet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possibility-is-kim-jong-un-purging-the-old-guard-to-bring-progress/676717.md?page=1)