Kim Geun-sik: "North Korea's proxy rule is media play, Park Ji-won can't shake off attention-seeking behavior"

Professor Kim Geun-sik of Gyeongnam University, chairman of the Seoul Songpa-byeong party committee of the United Future Party./Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Juhee] Kim Geunsik, chairman of the Seoul Songpabyung party committee of the United Future Party and professor at Gyeongnam University, criticized on the 21st the controversy over North Korea's delegated governance, calling it a "political media play" and stating, "It is probably because Park Ji-won, the director of the National Intelligence Service, has not yet shed the stains of politics or suffers from attention-seeking behavior obsessed with media interest."

On the same day, Kim posted on his Facebook, saying, "The National Intelligence Service arbitrarily created the concept even though North Korea has never used the very provocative term 'delegated governance'." Professor Kim is an expert on North Korean issues who has served as an advisory member to the Ministry of Unification, Ministry of National Defense, and the Blue House National Security Office.

Earlier, on the 20th, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced that North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un is delegating authority to some close aides, including his younger sister Kim Yo-jong, the first deputy director of the Workers' Party of Korea, in a form of delegated governance.

Professor Kim explained, "It is already known that Kim Jong-un is partially decentralizing authority to the party, government, and military, including Kim Yo-jong. The characteristic of the Kim Jong-un regime is precisely the normalization of the party-state system and decentralization of authority."

He continued, "Just the headline 'Kim Yo-jong delegated governance' naturally leads to imagining abnormalities in Kim Jong-un's condition, a contingency involving the leader, or changes in the core of power," adding, "If this was an attempt to divert media attention and public sentiment using North Korean information in a 'thunder out of clear sky' manner, it is political interference by the NIS director."

He further analyzed, "The previous analysis that the Park Ji-won card was the president's decision to restore suspended inter-Korean relations has now become meaningless or incorrect," and "Since the NIS director chose terms that could sufficiently provoke Kim Jong-un from his debut, the NIS's future negotiations with North Korea should be abandoned."

Lastly, Professor Kim expressed concern, saying, "Park Ji-won may have aimed from the beginning for political work to prevent lame-duck syndrome at the end of his term and during the regime transition. The president might even be stabbed in the foot by the axe he trusts," and added, "The most political NIS director. A master of transformation and power. Truly worrisome."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.