Editing Politics of North Korea (section)

==Political developments==
[[File:Mangyongdae Children's Palace 09.JPG|thumb|right|Portraits of the [[Eternal President of the Republic|Eternal President]], [[Kim Il Sung]] (left), and the [[Eternal General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea|Eternal General Secretary of the Workers' Party]], [[Kim Jong Il]] (right).]]
For much of its history, North Korean politics have been dominated by its adversarial [[North Korea–South Korea relations|relationship with South Korea]]. During the [[Cold War]], North Korea aligned with the Soviet Union and the [[People's Republic of China]]. The North Korean government invested heavily in [[Military of North Korea|its military]], hoping to develop the capability to [[Korean reunification|reunify Korea]] by force if possible and also preparing to repel any attack by [[South Korea]] or the [[United States]]. Following the doctrine of ''Juche'', North Korea aimed for a high degree of economic independence and the mobilization of all the resources of the nation to defend Korean sovereignty against foreign powers.

In the wake of the [[collapse of the Soviet Union]] in the early 1990s and the loss of Soviet aid, North Korea faced a long period of economic crisis, including severe agricultural and industrial shortages. North Korea's main political issue has been to find a way to sustain its economy without compromising the internal stability of its government or its ability to respond to perceived external threats. Recently, North Korean efforts to improve relations with South Korea to increase trade and to receive development assistance have been mildly successful. North Korea has tried to improve its relations with South Korea by [[North Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics|participating in the Pyeongchang Olympics]], when [[Kim Jong Un]] sent his band and a few officials to visit South Korea. But North Korea's determination to develop [[nuclear weapon]]s and [[ballistic missile]]s has prevented stable relations with both South Korea and the United States. North Korea has also experimented with [[market economy|market economics]] in some sectors of its economy, but these have had limited impact.{{fact|date=January 2025}}

Although there are occasional reports of signs of opposition to the government, these appear to be isolated, and there is no evidence of major internal threats to the current government. Some foreign analysts{{Who|date=October 2015}} have pointed to widespread starvation, increased emigration through [[North Korea-China border]], and new sources of information about the outside world for ordinary North Koreans as factors pointing to an imminent collapse of the regime.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}} However, North Korea has remained stable in spite of more than a decade of such predictions. The Workers' Party of Korea maintains a monopoly on political power and Kim Jong Il remained the leader of the country until 2011, ever since he first gained power following the death of his father.

After the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994, his son, Kim Jong Il became the new leader, which marked the closure of one chapter of North Korean politics. Combined with external shocks and the less charismatic personality of Kim Jong Il, the transition of the leadership moved North Korea toward less centralized control. There are three key institutions: the Korean People's Army (KPA), the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), and the cabinet. Rather than dominate a unified system as his father had, each party has their own enduring goals, therefore providing checks and balances to the government. No one party could claim victory and power over the other ones. With changing internal situation, combined with external pressure, the cabinet started to endorse policies it had rejected for years.<ref>Kang, David C."They Think They’re Normal: Enduring Questions and New Research on North Korea—A Review Essay." International Security, vol. 36 no. 3, 2011, pp. 142–171. Project MUSE,</ref> North Korea politics is gradually becoming more open and negotiable with foreign countries.{{fact|date=January 2025}}

Under Kim Jong Il the status of [[Military of North Korea|the military]] was enhanced, and appeared to occupy the center of the North Korean political system; all the social sectors were forced to follow the military spirit and adopt military methods. Kim Jong Il's public activity focused heavily on "[[on-the-spot guidance]]" of places and events related to the military. The enhanced status of the military and military-centered political system was confirmed in 1998 at the first session of the [[10th Supreme People's Assembly]] (SPA) by the promotion of NDC members into the official power hierarchy. All ten NDC members were ranked within the top twenty on 5 September, and all but one occupied the top twenty at the fiftieth anniversary of the [[Day of the Foundation of the Republic (North Korea)|Day of the Foundation of the Republic]] on 9 September.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} Under Kim Jong Un there has been an increased emphasis on economic matters, with major defence spending needing support from an economic standpoint.<ref name=38north-20210922>{{cite news |url=https://www.38north.org/2021/09/understanding-kim-jong-uns-economic-policymaking-defense-versus-civilian-spending/ |title=Understanding Kim Jong Un's Economic Policymaking: Defense Versus Civilian Spending |last1=Carlin |first1=Robert |last2=Minyoung |first2=Rachel Lee |publisher=The Henry L. Stimson Center |work=[[38 North]] |date=22 September 2021 |access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

While the commonly accepted view is that no dissent can be expressed in North Korea, the notionally academic economic journal [[Kyo'ngje Yo'ngu]] and the philosophical and economic journals of [[Kim Il Sung University]] permit the presentation and discussion of the different views of various parts of the government.<ref name=38north-20210922/>

===Protests===
In 2005, a [[riot]] began at [[Kim Il-sung Stadium]] during a [[FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup qualification match]], after a dispute between a Korean [[Football player|player]] and a Syrian [[Referee (association football)|referee]] and the subsequent [[Disqualification (sports)|disqualification]] of the player.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2005-04-02|title=Soccer Riot in Tightly Controlled North Korea Surprises Observers|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-apr-02-fg-soccer2-story.html|access-date=2020-09-14|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

Between 2006 and 2007, "market riots" erupted in the countryside when the government "unsuccessfully tried to restart" the Public Distribution System.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Lankov|first=Andrei|title=[[The Real North Korea Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia]]|date=December 2014|isbn=978-0199390038|page=108|publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref> [[Andrei Lankov]] goes on to say that the "outbreak of public discontent usually happens at the markets when vendors believe that their right to make money is being unfairly infringed by some decision of the authorities".<ref name=":1"/>

In June 2011, it was reported that the government had ordered universities to cancel most classes until April 2012, sending students to work on construction projects, presumably for fear of [[Arab Spring|similar developments as in North Africa]]. In the previous months, the regime had ordered riot gear from China.<ref>{{cite news|title=North Korea shuts down universities for 10 months |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/8602525/North-Korea-shuts-down-universities-for-10-months.html |access-date=16 October 2018 |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=28 June 2011}}</ref> However, "as soon as universities were reopened, graffiti appeared again. Perhaps the succession is not the real reason, but greater awareness among North Koreans could lead to changes."<ref>{{cite news|title=The symbols of the Kims' power under attack, North Koreans are waking up |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-symbols-of-the-Kims’-power-under-attack,-North-Koreans-are-waking-up-23970.html |access-date=16 October 2018|author1=Joseph Yun Li-sun |publisher=AsiaNews |date=14 Feb 2012}}</ref>