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.