A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRISIS ON KIM JONG-UN REGIME’S STABILITY

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Authors
Jang, Min Hee
Subjects
Kim Jong-un regime
authoritarian regime
regime stability
COVID-19
public health crisis
crisis management
Advisors
Huntley, Wade L.
Date of Issue
2023-12
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
This thesis examines whether there has been a change in the stability of Kim Jong-un’s regime after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopts a double examination, using analyses from two different analytical frameworks. The second chapter compares the differences in the levels of stability of Kim Jong-un’s regime before and after the crisis. The third chapter focuses on North Korea’s crisis management, in order to provide explanations for the former chapter’s findings. The conclusion argues that far from the crisis weakening the level of stability, it enabled Kim Jong-un to strengthen his power. This was achieved through implementing authoritarian tools to lessen the impact of the crisis and to convert it into an opportunity for maintaining the regime’s superiority over society. The result implies that as the Kim Jung-il regime survived the famine crisis, the public health crisis could not be a destabilizing factor for the North or other authoritarian regimes. In other words, the conclusion suggests premising a long shadow of the future when planning North Korea policy, since the Kim regime will last for a while unless significant structural changes happen.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
Rights
Copyright is reserved by the copyright owner.
Collections