By Shim Jae-yun
Unlike his North Korean peers, he looks handsome, gentler, and even more savvy and smart. Intelligence sources say Jang Song-thaek is a good speaker who enjoys drinking with artistic abilities including playing the accordion. With a well-rounded character, Kim Kyoung-hui, younger sister of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il became attracted to him. She persuaded her father and North Korea founder Kim Il-sung to permit her marriage with Jang.
But Kim was negative toward Jang, expelling the student from the noted Kim Il-sung University to a local college in Wonsan. But Kim had no choice but to permit the marriage in the face of Kyoung-hui’s threat that she would kill herself if she failed to marry Jang.
Thanks to his charisma, Jang has had many elite figures around him. There have been much speculation pointing to his possible emergence as the virtual leader of North Korea following Kim Jong-il’s passing.
Fujimoto Kenji, who served as chief chef for Kim Jong-il and his family, earlier said Jang would become the successor if Kim Jong-il dies. The late Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-ranking North Korean defector, also said Jang would become the North Korean leader after the demise of Kim Jong-il, instead of youngsters like Kim Jong-nam and Kim Jong-un. The insightful Hwang went on to say that Jang had long been playing the role as the virtual No. 2 after Kim Jong-il. It was 2003 when Hwang made the remark.
There is speculation that Hwang’s statement irritated Kim Jong-il to so much he decided to post Jang to a remote area the next year. Hwang allegedly regretted his comment which apparently led to Jang’s demotion. Hwang and Jang are distant relatives by marriage.
According to testimonies by North Korean defector Lee Han-young, a relative of Kim Jong-il, Jang was also sent to a steel mill from 1978-‘80 for imitating the way Kim Jong-il liked to party.
Jang also allegedly recommended Kim Jong-un as successor. Against this backdrop, it is no surprise to see Jang stand beside Kim Jong-un while receiving guests paying respects to the late North Korean leader, wearing a four-star insignia on his shoulder.
This means Jang, already equipped with a strong human network both in the military and the party, has emerged strong enough to support his nephew. Since Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke in 2008, the North has been preparing for the demise of their “Dear Leader” as a medical team concluded then that Kim had only two or three years left.
From that time on, the North has been mapping out measures to stabilize the regime without being shaken by Kim’s death. And Jang has been at the center of the succession scheme. Experts share the notion that North Korea will mobilize efforts to stabilize the regime centered around Kim Jong-un, who seems to have seized power riding on the funeral atmosphere for his deceased father.
Collective leadership is unlikely in North Korea given the strong tendency of monarchism in the reclusive state. Such a tradition seems to have been inherited from ancient times on the Korean Peninsula and culminated in the Joseon Kingdom. Despite this, the mentor group consisting of party and military leaders including Jang will continue to support the young successor, just in his late twenties.
Among the mentors for Jong-un, it is certain that Jang will wield the greatest influence as his uncle. Some medical analysts say a man is not able to make comprehensive judgments until reaching the age of 35. If this claim is true, Jong-un needs further admonition from his mentors and Jang’s influence will become even more significant.
Given the desperate need for foreign currency, Jang is also the optimum figure as it is learned he engaged in earning dollars for the Kim Jong-il regime. These are the reasons why all eyes are now fixed on Jang’s moves after the death of iron-fisted ruler Kim Jong-il. And his past suffering from demotions will have helped him develop cautious and sophisticated ways of maintaining his clout in the new regime.