North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been making bellicose threats and escalating tensions with South Korea in recent months. In January, he presided over the test of a new solid-fuel hypersonic missile and declared South Korea as the North’s primary foe. He also vowed to purge unification language from the constitution and called for the destruction of inter-Korean symbols.
The backdrop to Kim’s threats is a train accident that occurred in December 2023, where a passenger train overturned due to a power shortage. While the details of the accident remain unclear due to North Korea’s tight control over news, it is believed that hundreds of people died. This accident has highlighted the discontent and awareness among North Koreans about the deficiencies in their leadership and the dire living conditions they face.
Kim is facing a critical period of change in North Korea, as a younger generation accustomed to market economics and greater access to external information clashes with the regime’s official ideology of economic self-reliance and isolationism. To confront this challenge, Kim has readopted the “byungjin” policy of building up both the military and the economy. However, he has also resorted to the tactic of deflection, using war rhetoric and creating uncertainty to divert attention from domestic problems and maintain his grip on power.
Kim’s deflection tactics have had international implications as well. The war rhetoric has led to combined naval exercises involving the US, Japan, and South Korea, while North Korea has sought to cultivate bilateral relations with Russia to bolster its weaponry. The deflection also targets US politicians and the South Korean public, potentially influencing their perceptions and political decisions. For Kim, maintaining power and securing favorable conditions for his regime are the ultimate goals of his deflection strategies.
