ABSTRACT
This chapter studies elites and their changes in the Kim Jong Un regime from the early 2010s to the present early 2020s. Since Kim Jong Un assumed leadership positions in the post-Kim Jong Il era, the third-generation elites have gradually replaced the second-generation elites over time. The political purge continued against some of the elites under Kim Jong Un, as shown in the case of his uncle-in-law Chang Sŏng-t’aek in 2013. Revising his father’s military-first strategy, Kim Jong Un adopted the dual development strategy of economic and nuclear power. Under this new defense strategy the state injects considerable financial resources into developing nuclear missile capabilities rather than conventional ones. This economic-nuclear dual development strategy has heightened the political status of technocrats in the nuclear and missile technology sectors during the Kim Jong Un regime. This chapter will examine elite issues such as the gradual generation change, the political purge of Chang, and elite policy in the post-Kim Jong Il era.
