From Foreign Affairs · Jieun Baek · · 2m
North Korea’s Elite Loyalty Crisis
North Korean elites face growing distrust as Kim Jong Un tightens control.
In brief
North Korean elites face growing distrust as Kim Jong Un tightens control. North Korean elites increasingly defect due to fear of purges and lack of security, risking regime stability. Originally reported by Foreign Affairs.
Thae Yong Ho's Defection
Thae Yong Ho escaped North Korea in 2014 after his sons criticized his loyalty to Kim family.
“In the eyes of his children, Thae later wrote in his memoir, Password to the Third Floor, he was a prisoner forced to take care of a prison warden”
Elite Defection Trends
As of August 2024, North Korean upper class defections were two and a half times higher than combined totals under Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
“South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported that the number of defections from North Korea’s upper class recorded under Kim Jong Un was two and a half times the combined total observed during the reigns of Kim Il Sung (1948 to 1994) and Kim Jong Il (1994 to 2011)”
Elite Vulnerability
Elites face constant fear of purges and sudden execution despite privileges and access to luxury.
“The closer you are to the sun, the more likely you will burn”
Jang Song Thaek's Execution
Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un's uncle, was executed in 2013 after three rounds of 'revolutionization'.
“Jang had already undergone 'revolutionization' three times”
Elite Surveillance System
North Korea's state monitors every citizen through schools, embassies, and neighborhood units.
“Party committees operate inside every school, embassy, farm, military unit, office, and factory”
Self-Criticism Rituals
Elites perform public self-criticism sessions to maintain loyalty while hiding private doubts.
“A person might confess to lacking sufficient revolutionary zeal during the previous week and vehemently rebuke a friend for a similar offense”
Elite Economic Shifts
Younger elites prioritize money over political loyalty, seeking private wealth and market access.
“Money, he said. He was being cheeky, but only partly. He pulled out his phone and read the biblical warning that no one can serve two masters, God and money”
Defection Challenges
Defectors face repatriation risks and asylum delays, with some waiting over nine years for resolution.
“One claimant has waited more than nine years”
Kim's Control Mechanisms
Kim Jong Un uses purges and surveillance to maintain elite loyalty despite growing discontent.
“Kim Jong Un has tightened his grip on the country’s elites by carrying out sweeping purges of the old guard of senior party officials and military officers”
Elite Discontent Options
Elites face five choices: stay silent, flee, build parallel networks, protest, or push for reform.
“Growing elite grievances do not mean an uprising is near. A disaffected elite has five options: remain silent and maintain the status quo; flee the country; build parallel networks of money and influence; protest; or push for incremental reform”
Regime Stability
North Korea's regime survives through economic control and repression despite elite disaffection.
“The regime has survived famine, international sanctions, and leadership successions. Discontent has been building for years without ever transforming into any form of sustained, organized opposition”
Elite Loyalty Crisis
Elites increasingly view loyalty as performative, not genuine, risking regime collapse.
“My interviews with erstwhile members of North Korea’s elite do not point to imminent regime collapse. Rather, they suggest a more haunting vulnerability for the Kim family: the loyalty of the elites, which is critical for regime survival, is becoming more performative, less genuine, and motivated by self-preservation, not a wellspring of ideological conviction”
Kim's Last Days
Kim Jong Un faces potential loss of elite support during crises, threatening regime stability.
“In a moment of upheaval and uncertainty, already disaffected officials may conclude that obedient compliance will no longer protect their positions or their families”
Elite Defection Risks
Defectors risk family punishment and long asylum delays, with few safe options.
“For officials considering escape, the lesson is stark: even reaching the embassy of an ostensibly democratic country may not deliver them from the tyranny of home”
Regime's Economic Control
North Korea's state regulates markets while maintaining strict control over information and movement.
“Kim has accommodated some of these economic changes; once prohibited, markets are now regulated and taxed by the state”
Elite Discontent
Elites increasingly seek economic freedom and security over political loyalty.
“Younger elites are less inclined to put up with the careers and sacrifices the state has historically presented as honorable. Many interviewees told me that elite parents no longer want their sons to spend over a decade conscripted in the army or build careers entirely inside the party”
At a glance
North Korean elites increasingly defect due to fear of purges and lack of security, risking regime stability.
