Word: kim
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...future is the Kims. While Kim Il Sung may be above criticism, his son and intended successor, "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il, 48, is not. The younger Kim, who is in charge of the nation's day-to-day affairs, is being groomed for the communist world's first dynastic succession, but many North Koreans privately blame him for the country's economic problems...
Most observers expect young Kim's rule to be short lived. "As soon as his father dies, Kim will be overthrown by the military," predicts Kwon Moon Sool, director of the Research Institute on National Security Affairs in Seoul. In an attempt to guard against a coup, Kim has installed trusted allies in the Defense Ministry and the army. But if his father's death provokes unrest, the military could well take over: there are no known democratic alternatives or any organized opposition groups...
...elder Kim has kept his nation ignorant of the tumultuous events shaking the rest of the communist world. The only "news" allowed in North Korea is local propaganda. As a result, North Korea is not a place where the citizens are clamoring for democracy...
...Kim may have more cause for concern in the abrupt shift by the Soviet Union. While Moscow continues to provide arms, relations between the two nations began cooling well before Gorbachev's summit with Roh. In April Radio Moscow broadcasts criticized North Koreans as "completely brainwashed." Soviet officials accompanying Gorbachev to the summit could barely conceal their impatience with Pyongyang...
Even in a hermetically sealed society, ideas do seep in. Some privileged academics, artists and athletes have traveled abroad and been exposed to the freedom of the outside world. Many foreign analysts believe the pressure for change will eventually be overwhelming -- but only after Kim Il Sung is gone. Says Professor Kim Kook Chin, of Seoul's Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security: "They have to open up their system to develop their economy. But if they do open the door, it will undermine their system. The more they open up, the more vulnerable they will...