NKorea To Pardon Convicts To Honor Dead Leader’s Birthday
Kim Jong-eun
The new leader of the North Korean Democratic Republic on Tuesday announced that he would sign a special pardon for convicts in a rare move that is aimed at boosting the popularity of the man who was totally unknown for the people a year ago, as the international news agencies were searching far and near for a picture of him, and were asking for confirmation whether it was the real person or not.
Since the demise of his father, Kim Jong-il, the new NKorean leader made attempts to demonstrate that the transition was smooth and that the nation is in good hands and no crisis is likely to spark.
On Tuesday the NKorean central news agency reaffirmed the fact that all the generals of the army pledged their undying allegiance, and their vows to become their human shields that would protect the new leader.
The amnesty is expected to be issued on February 1 to commemorate the birthday of the deceased Kim Jong-il as well as the 100th anniversary of the birth of the founder of the Communist republic Kim Il-sung, the first president of the country and the grandfather of the incumbent president.
This pardon is the first one in six years, but it is not known yet how many of the inmates would be set free nor what kind of crimes they had committed. It is considered that the gesture is meant to win public confidence for the new leader.
The United Nations report that some 200,000 people are in the political prisons of the regime, a report strongly contested by the leaders in Pyongyang.
In August 2005, North Korea has issued a pardon of the convicts in order to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Korea from the domination of Japan.
The top military officials pledged on Monday to build a “10,000-fold bulwark” to protect the leader. They shouted this slogan while marching in front of the Kumsasun Memorial Palace, where the body of Kim Il-sunt is being preserved.
Since the death of the former president the North Korean Workers’ Party proclaimed his son “supreme leader” and the national media presented his “glorious exploits” as a military general.
North Korea is confronted with severe food shortage and has had negotiations with the United States on that. Last year, the former president met with the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and received some grains in exchange for the promise not to oppose the development of a Russian gas pipeline that would go to South Korea, a partner for Russian commerce.
When Kim Jong-il died there were concerns over the transition of power to the inexperienced new leader. At the funeral it seemed that he would be tutored by the generals and members of the family until he learnt the secrets of ruling such a country.
However, it seems that the mechanism functioned and young Kim can now assume his throne without complications. The South Korean authorities are expecting him to take the nation through a transition toward unification, in which the severe economic problems to be resolved at least partially.
Reunification now would bare a too high cost for the South Korean economy, considering that the North is in collapse. Besides, the new regime in Pyongyang may choose to prolong its staying in power at the expense of an impoverished population.
