# Has the Kim Jong Un regime in North Korea been overthrown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 5, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450 "2014-10-05T12:29:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/21 "2014-10-05T20:13:57Z")
He’s at a secret basketball camp run by Dennis Rodman in Topeka, Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/22 "2014-10-05T20:31:41Z")
Perhaps for primarily internal PR purposes, Kim Jong-Un has been a useful figurehead. Maybe he’s outlived his usefulness. If they’re reporting that he’s been ill, then he’s probably in pretty bad shape. And any delay in reporting his current condition might be because 1) there’s no member of the Kim family in a position just step up to continue the dynasty so they have to quickly find and groom one or B) they’re considering whether to bother continue the dynasty and if so, then what sort of government do they want to present both internally and internationally. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/23 "2014-10-05T20:32:05Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > He’s at a secret basketball camp run by Dennis Rodman in Topeka, Kansas. _Fat Men Can’t Jump_ ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/24 "2014-10-05T20:52:36Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > Maybe he’s just pretending to see who would be loyal to some degree. It’s been done by dictators plenty of times. I have suspected this also. This seems very fishy to me, I would be very wary if I were a North Korean official. He is 31 and gravely sick!? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/25 "2014-10-05T21:01:39Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Perhaps he suffered the same [fate](http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/03/22156917-kim-jong-uns-executed-uncle-was-eaten-alive-by-120-hungry-dogs-report?lite)his uncle suffered… > > _BEIJING – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful uncle was stripped naked, thrown into a cage, and eaten alive by a pack of ravenous dogs, according to a newspaper with close ties to China’s ruling Communist Party._ > Of course, anything coming from that little hole in the world is questionable. Pretty sure that report was debunked as a hoax. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/26 "2014-10-05T21:02:52Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > He is 31 and gravely sick!? 😕 If he has diabetes and lives in North Korea, yes. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/27 "2014-10-05T21:48:48Z")
Of course, the ballooning weight might explain in itself Kim’s sudden shyness. A crash diet and we may expect to see a slimmer model in due time. Vanity sounds rather more likely than regime change. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/28 "2014-10-06T03:34:27Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I just figured he got a bad haircut and was laying low for a couple weeks. Nah. If it were that, we’d’ve never seen him in the first place. > [@Morgenstern](#): > > Perhaps he suffered the same [fate](http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/03/22156917-kim-jong-uns-executed-uncle-was-eaten-alive-by-120-hungry-dogs-report?lite)his uncle suffered… > > _BEIJING – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful uncle was stripped naked, thrown into a cage, and eaten alive by a pack of ravenous dogs, according to a newspaper with close ties to China’s ruling Communist Party._ > Of course, anything coming from that little hole in the world is questionable. That story has already been discounted as a myth. There’s even a thread about it somewhere here. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2014, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/29 "2014-10-06T11:24:47Z")
> [@IMfez](#): > > I’ve heard that Kim Jong hasn’t been seen for almost a month and there might’ve been a internal revolt, possibly a regime change. The way NK has set up its society and its government, any regime change that does not include some kind of worship/adulation of a male member of the ruling Kim dynasty is impossible without a complete collapse of the society. > [@](#): > > Couple things stick out to me about the current situation: > > 1. Is it unusual for a leader of a pariah state to be out of view for three weeks? Well, when it comes to NK, you really can’t say anything is usual, except, of course, for the totalitarian rule and the horrible human rights abuses. As it is, though, it’s not unprecedented for the top ruler of that country to go weeks or months without a public appearance. > [@](#): > > 1. Do high-level talks between the North and South usually involve North Korea’s supreme leader? There have been precious few meetings between the top dude in NK and South Korean government representatives. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/30 "2014-10-06T20:10:29Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I believe he has been seen in the past few days, walking with a limp. Maybe he’s just very ronery. ---
**Author:** ![Knowledgable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@Knowledgable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowledgable)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/31 "2014-10-06T22:25:49Z")
One does not simply overthrow Kim Jong-un. Trust me after that dog incident, nobody has the balls. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/32 "2014-10-06T22:32:19Z")
Translation: nobody knows. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/33 "2014-10-07T21:28:13Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Not to mention the fact that he is rumoured to wear high heeled boots to exaggerate his height, has gained massive weight and is supposed to be a heavy drinker. > > All equals a recipe for a minor trip for most people equaling two broken ankles. > > I’m sure that the Sharks are currently circling looking for a kill , it all depends on if he has enough loyalists to protect him or not. My first thought reading that was a mental image of Kim walking around wearing high heels with a bottle of hard liquor in one hand and a block of cheese in the other before he says ‘I’m the king of the world’ and trips, breaking his ankles. That’s a pretty sorry god to have to worship. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/34 "2014-10-07T21:39:18Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > My first thought reading that was a mental image of Kim walking around wearing high heels with a bottle of hard liquor in one hand and a block of cheese in the other before he says ‘I’m the king of the world’ and trips, breaking his ankles. That’s a pretty sorry god to have to worship. Well, he’s no bowl of Special K. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/35 "2014-10-08T00:05:34Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > I’m sure that the Sharks are currently circling looking for a kill The _sharks_ might be circling for a kill, but the [_Sharks_](http://sharks.nhl.com) are more patiently systematic. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/36 "2014-10-08T02:57:37Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > My first thought reading that was a mental image of Kim walking around wearing high heels with a bottle of hard liquor in one hand and a block of cheese in the other before he says ‘I’m the king of the world’ and trips, breaking his ankles. That’s a pretty sorry god to have to worship. Well that beats some of the ones they have in India, I’ll clue ya. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/37 "2014-10-08T03:33:50Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > He’s had [laughably bad haircuts](http://assets.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/144830/09f0d6a0e18aa4c1d068ab14e5783431.jpg) his whole adult life. How bad must this one have been to drive him into hiding?! 😛 Where did you get a photo of me? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/38 "2014-10-09T12:53:13Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > The way NK has set up its society and its government, any regime change that does not include some kind of worship/adulation of a male member of the ruling Kim dynasty is impossible without a complete collapse of the society. The latest [del]tea leaf reading[/del] [del]divining of entrails[/del] speculation is that Kim’s sister is, at least temporarily, more or less in charge. From [CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/08/world/kim-jong-un-sister/index.html?hpt=hp_c2): > [@](#): > > Victor Cha, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies who previously handled the North Korea account with the National Security Council, says Kim Yo Jong began surfacing publicly earlier this year at party functions. > > “Clearly it’s an effort to slow-track her into becoming somebody who is important within the system,” Cha says. “I can see how it’s possible that she’s in some sort of temporary position. It’s very difficult for the North Korean system to run without one of the Kim family at least titularly in charge. So, if Kim Jong Un is indisposed, she’s really the only available body that’s left, in terms of a direct Kim family line.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/39 "2014-10-09T14:39:06Z")
This hereditary-dynasty business is so un-Communist . . . Do they even call themselves Communists any more? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450/40 "2014-10-09T15:02:38Z")
Apparently the Marxist progression of history runs from hereditary monarchy to merchantilism to capitalism to socialism to hereditary monarchy… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-the-kim-jong-un-regime-in-north-korea-been-overthrown/700450.md?page=3)