Hello and welcome back to the Most Amazing Channel on the internet! I am your Host Rebecca
Felgate and today we are talking about the somewhat mysterious hermit nation of the Democratic
Republic of North Korea as we talk about the Top 10 Things That Will Happen When Kim Jong
Un Dies. As little is known In the west about the full scope of the political system in
North Korea, a lot of this list is speculation. As with any death of a dictator, I would expect
a lot of upheaval.
10 – It Would be Kept Secret When Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong-il,
passed away in December 2011, it took the state media 51 hours to report it. They kept
the death a secret as a result of political jockeying as the funeral committee and successor
were decided. I would imagine the death of Kim Jong Un would be similar. When the new
leaders were ready for an announcement, they would inform government agencies, work units,
school workers and military leaders that there is to be a major announcement. Then, like
with Kim Jong Il’s death, the announcement would eventually come from the state run Korean
Central Television, with the anchor dressed in black traditional Korean clothing.
This leads us to number 9 The Nation Would Weep Dramatically
As we saw in 2011, North Koreans lost it over the death of their leader. In the dictator
state, the leader of the country is seen with almost a godlike status. When the previous
leader died, people wept in the streets for weeks, which I imagine would be the same if
Kim Jong Un died. A lot of people simply fell to their knees in grief and lamentation. If
you were visiting North Korea, the streets of Pyongyang would be LOUD with wailing!
8 - Huge State Funeral Like with Kim Jong Il, there would be a huge
state funeral. It is likely that Kim’s body would lie in state, as is traditional, in
the Kumsusan Memorial Palace for a week. A week to ten days after his death, the funeral,
or ceremony for his parting, as it would be called in North Korea, would take place. People
would line the streets in mourning, there would be a procession, followed by an artillery
salute, followed by three minutes of silence. Clues to the next successor would likely be
evident in the funeral party; when his father died, Kim Jong Un was ranked the first in
the Funeral Committee of 233 people.
7 - South Korea on High Alert
Like with the Death of Kim Jong Il, The South Korean military would be put on high alert.
It is likely that the President of South Korea would cancel what they were doing to focus
in the situation, with a paramount interest in keeping the Korean Peninsular stable.
6 - Huge International Interest and Headlines Kim Jong Un’s death would make international
headlines. While the passing of any world leader is big news, because of the nature
of North Korea and the cult of personality surrounding Kim Jong Un, this would be an
especially big deal. International politicians would be keeping a very close eye on the situation,
for fear of the upheaval destabilizing the country. While it is likely that China will
send its condolences, a lot of countries will not have kind words to say about Kim Jong
Un.
5 - Nuclear Attacks ? While this is not a given by any means, we
do know that Kim Jong Un Spent a lot of time and energy cultivating nuclear weapons. We
know that the leader of the hermit nation had been pretty paranoid and regularly threatened
the West with his arsenal. Who is to say his dying wish isn’t to launch what he has at
who he can reach? This could mean South Korea, Japan and Guam are in danger…but of course,
who is to know what kind of range he could be working with come his death….perhaps
the Unites States, parts of Europe and Australia would be at risk too.
4 It would be the end of the Kim Dynasty? Again, we aren’t sure about this one. Certainly,
as it is now, there is no obvious successor to the leader of North Korea. He is widely
suspected to have had his own brother killed during an attack at Kuala Lumpa Airport, and
of course this isn’t his only family member to have met a suspicious end. If Kim wanted
to maintain the dynasty his grandfather started, he would need to make it clear who he wanted
his successor to be. Right now his children are youngs o wouldn’t be suitable replacements,
but of course, despite health concerns, Kim Jong Un is still quite young himself, so perhaps
by the time he dies, one of them would be ready to take his place. If he passed away
now, though, it is likely there would be a lot of Political Jockeying and perhaps some
deaths.
3 – There Could be Collective Rule? When Mao and Stalin died, China and Russia
opted for collective rule, which was actually better for their countries as it toned down
the megalomania a touch. It is possible members of Kim Jong Un’s Government could make an
arrangement to appoint a ruler, and then start their own line of succession.
If a successor couldn’t be decided on, though, our number two could indeed happen….
2 North Korea could collapse
Without Kim Jong Un at the helm, North Korea could feasibly collapse. If political order
wasn’t restored quickly, the country could be plunged into a civil war. We have no real
idea of knowing exactly how a lot of North Koreans feel about the country and regime
they live within. A lot of people may well be discontent. I can only assume if people
were looking to defect, this would be their chance. Again, if political order couldn’t
be restored, other nations may step in, which leads me to number one!
Finally….Perhaps the best outcome from Kim Jong Un’s Death is that Korea COULD be United
There have been failed attempts at reunification in the past, although the two different nations
have developed very different cultures. A unified Korea did march in the Winter Olympics
of 2018, so perhaps it is possible. Politically, this is something that South Korea seem to
want, although it would bring up a lot of tensions between the United States, the EU,
China and Russia, who would all be grappling for influence in the area.
So, those are the top 10 things we think would happen if Kim Jong Un died.