North Korea's politicians say 'no future' under Kim Jong Un, defector says

Kim’s distrust of cadres and inconsistent policies have combined to have a negative effect on North Korea's ruling elite.

North Korean politician Jang Song Thaek being escorted into court in 2013. A North Korean defector said the purges of top bureaucrats indicate conflicts are brewing between Kim and the ruling elite in Pyongyang. File Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- A North Korean defector said Pyongyang's Workers' Party is "imploding" due to Kim Jong Un's inconsistent policies, and grievances against the leader have soared since he fully assumed power.
The former party cadre, who spoke to Yonhap on the condition of anonymity, said Kim often finds fault with "old and senile party members," and his disparaging remarks have often placed him at odds with veteran politicians appointed by former leader Kim Jong Il. Kim has said North Korean politicians with decades of experience are ineffective workers, according to the defector.
Demoralized cadres have said that "there is no future" for North Korea since Kim came to power, and pessimism is pervasive in government, according to the defector identified as "A." The defector said the execution of Kim's uncle Jang Song Thaek was shocking for North Korea's elite, and signs of conflict have emerged since Kim replaced older bureaucrats with new appointees.
"The purge of Jang Song Thaek, Ri Yong Ho and Hyon Yong Chol did not come about only due to Kim Jong Un's 'tyrannical tendencies,'" the defector said. "Generational change and Kim's distrust of cadres, these and the party's inconsistencies all combined to lead to these incidents."
The defector said that during his term as a party cadre in the previous regime under Kim Jong Il, he like others "worked night and day...with tremendous pride," but according to his sources officials now seek to defect, skirt work responsibilities while placing self-interest before the concerns of the group.
Purges, however, have been key to the survival of the North Korean regime that began with founder Kim Il Sung. South Korean television network SBS reported North Korea's state newspaper ran a special feature Wednesday on the Workers' Party, hailing the ruling party as the "Great Mother" of the country.
SBS reported the former leader consolidated his power in 1953 by purging influential communists like Pak Hon Yong for challenging his rule and eliminating other factions.