http://news.tv.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/12/09/2013120990256.html?tvcsrel
권력은 절대로 나누어 가질수 없다는 속설이 실제로 북한의 김정은 체제속에서 며칠전 일어 났었다. 애숭이 김정은의 삼춘, 즉 김정은 고모의 남편 장성택이 김정일 사후, 김정은의 뒤에서 섭정을 하면서 오늘의 김정은 체제를 견고히 만들었던, 제2의 권력서열에 있었던 장성택이, 약 2년이 지난 요즘에는 그의 도움없이도 혼자 걸을수 있다는 판단아래, 작심하고, 그를 권좌에서 끌어 내린 조치를 취한것 같다.
이날 김정은이 주도한 고위간부들이 다 모인 회의에서 갑자기 군복을 입은 보안원들이 회의장 맨앞에 앉아 있던 장성택을 체포하여 끌고 나가는 모습을 북한 방송이 이례적으로 보도한것이 조선일보를 통해 사진으로 발표된것이다.
아마도 권력을 장성택에게 나누어 주지 않으면 안될 위기감을 느낀 김정은이 이제는 쳐내야 되겠다는 결심을 하면서, 그의 체포를 지시 했었던 같은데, 그것도 고위급 간부들의 전체 모임에서 실행한것은, 그곳에 모인 다른 간부들에게 암묵적으로 너희도 경거망동하면 이런 꼴이 된다는것을 보여주면서 위협을 한것으로 해석된다.
권력은 부자간에도 나누어 가질수 없는 속성이 있다는데, 그실체와 그증명을 애숭이 김정은이가 Practice 한것이다. 이런 분위기속에서 어느 누가 100% 충성을 하겠는가? 99%만 하면서, 나머지 1%는 만약을 위해 비밀 금고에 잘 보관 해 두고 살길을 찾을 것이다. 모래위에 지은 Castle이 바로 김정은 체제 아닐까?
다음 수순이 추측되는데, 목숨은 연명시키겠지만, 권력을 휘두르는 전면에는 등장할 기회가 주어질것 같지는 않고, 고모와 함께 남은 생애를 평양이 아닌 다른곳에서 조용히 지내도록 하는, 외부와 완전히 결리시킨체 House Arrest를 하게 될것 같다. 만약의 경우 내부적으로 권력 암투가 벌어질 경우 다시한번 그를 활용할 계산에서 일것이다. 아니면 친족으로서의 정을 완전히 차단하기가 쉽지 않아서 일지도 모른다.
권력은 부자간에도 share가 안된다고 들었다. 하물려 한발건너 고모의 남편인바에야 더이상 무슨 설명이 필요하겠는가? 이런 경우를 "토사구팽"이라고 하던가?
김정은 체제의 평양은 모래위에 지은 castle과 비유가 된다. 그래서 애숭이 김정은과 Regime은 잠자리를 매일밤 옮겨 다니면서 고달픈 목숨을 연명해 가고 있는지도 모르겠다. 어느 한순간에 tornado가 엄습해 오면 그것으로 끝장일 것이기 때문이다. 나같은 일반서민은 Simple 하게 생각해본다. 마음놓고 여행을 할수 있는 Freedom이 보장되는 북한 사회가 되면 공산주의든(중국사회처럼),민주주의든 상관없을것 같다.
우선 지금 내가 거처하고 있는곳에서 내가 타고 다니는 자랑스러운 KIA Sorento AWD를 화물로 고국 부산항에 보내고, 그곳에서 부터 차를 타고 개성공단을 보고, 피로 얼룩졌던 평양성을 모란봉에서 내려다 보고, 2천만 북한 동포들의 삶속에 납덩이처럼 얹혀 있었던 요덕수용소도 둘러보고, 인생의 마지막 거처라고 귀가 아프게 들어왔었던 아오지 탄광을 거쳐 다시 그곳에서 장거리 여행을 위한 중무장을 하고, 요즘 한창 전세계인들의 이목을 집중 시키고 있는, 옛 쏘련의 위성국가인 "우크라이나" 수도 St. Petersburg로 달려가 자유의 소중함을 다시한번 음미해 볼것이다. 그곳은 요즘 한창 옛공산주의 종주국 Russia로 회귀를 노리는 정부측과 EU회원국으로 가입을 염원하는 국민들 사이에 밀고 당기는 데몬스트레이션이 한창으로, 혼란이 재현되고 있는 곳이라서 더 가보고 싶은 곳이다. 이런 꿈이 내생전에 이루어 졌으면 하는 마음, 어찌 나혼자뿐이겠는가?
신이 존재 한다면, 나같은 생각을 하고 있는 7천만의 염원이 담긴 간절한 바램을 소귀에 경읽는 식으로 그냥 스쳐 지나게 하시지는 않을 것이라 굳게 믿는다.
Mr Chang, second from left, has outgrown his usefulness to Kim Jong-un
Some experts see Mr Chang's removal as a sign of Kim Jong-un's growing authority
Mr Chang used to be the second most powerful person in North Korea
권력은 절대로 나누어 가질수 없다는 속설이 실제로 북한의 김정은 체제속에서 며칠전 일어 났었다. 애숭이 김정은의 삼춘, 즉 김정은 고모의 남편 장성택이 김정일 사후, 김정은의 뒤에서 섭정을 하면서 오늘의 김정은 체제를 견고히 만들었던, 제2의 권력서열에 있었던 장성택이, 약 2년이 지난 요즘에는 그의 도움없이도 혼자 걸을수 있다는 판단아래, 작심하고, 그를 권좌에서 끌어 내린 조치를 취한것 같다.
이날 김정은이 주도한 고위간부들이 다 모인 회의에서 갑자기 군복을 입은 보안원들이 회의장 맨앞에 앉아 있던 장성택을 체포하여 끌고 나가는 모습을 북한 방송이 이례적으로 보도한것이 조선일보를 통해 사진으로 발표된것이다.
아마도 권력을 장성택에게 나누어 주지 않으면 안될 위기감을 느낀 김정은이 이제는 쳐내야 되겠다는 결심을 하면서, 그의 체포를 지시 했었던 같은데, 그것도 고위급 간부들의 전체 모임에서 실행한것은, 그곳에 모인 다른 간부들에게 암묵적으로 너희도 경거망동하면 이런 꼴이 된다는것을 보여주면서 위협을 한것으로 해석된다.
권력은 부자간에도 나누어 가질수 없는 속성이 있다는데, 그실체와 그증명을 애숭이 김정은이가 Practice 한것이다. 이런 분위기속에서 어느 누가 100% 충성을 하겠는가? 99%만 하면서, 나머지 1%는 만약을 위해 비밀 금고에 잘 보관 해 두고 살길을 찾을 것이다. 모래위에 지은 Castle이 바로 김정은 체제 아닐까?
다음 수순이 추측되는데, 목숨은 연명시키겠지만, 권력을 휘두르는 전면에는 등장할 기회가 주어질것 같지는 않고, 고모와 함께 남은 생애를 평양이 아닌 다른곳에서 조용히 지내도록 하는, 외부와 완전히 결리시킨체 House Arrest를 하게 될것 같다. 만약의 경우 내부적으로 권력 암투가 벌어질 경우 다시한번 그를 활용할 계산에서 일것이다. 아니면 친족으로서의 정을 완전히 차단하기가 쉽지 않아서 일지도 모른다.
권력은 부자간에도 share가 안된다고 들었다. 하물려 한발건너 고모의 남편인바에야 더이상 무슨 설명이 필요하겠는가? 이런 경우를 "토사구팽"이라고 하던가?
김정은 체제의 평양은 모래위에 지은 castle과 비유가 된다. 그래서 애숭이 김정은과 Regime은 잠자리를 매일밤 옮겨 다니면서 고달픈 목숨을 연명해 가고 있는지도 모르겠다. 어느 한순간에 tornado가 엄습해 오면 그것으로 끝장일 것이기 때문이다. 나같은 일반서민은 Simple 하게 생각해본다. 마음놓고 여행을 할수 있는 Freedom이 보장되는 북한 사회가 되면 공산주의든(중국사회처럼),민주주의든 상관없을것 같다.
우선 지금 내가 거처하고 있는곳에서 내가 타고 다니는 자랑스러운 KIA Sorento AWD를 화물로 고국 부산항에 보내고, 그곳에서 부터 차를 타고 개성공단을 보고, 피로 얼룩졌던 평양성을 모란봉에서 내려다 보고, 2천만 북한 동포들의 삶속에 납덩이처럼 얹혀 있었던 요덕수용소도 둘러보고, 인생의 마지막 거처라고 귀가 아프게 들어왔었던 아오지 탄광을 거쳐 다시 그곳에서 장거리 여행을 위한 중무장을 하고, 요즘 한창 전세계인들의 이목을 집중 시키고 있는, 옛 쏘련의 위성국가인 "우크라이나" 수도 St. Petersburg로 달려가 자유의 소중함을 다시한번 음미해 볼것이다. 그곳은 요즘 한창 옛공산주의 종주국 Russia로 회귀를 노리는 정부측과 EU회원국으로 가입을 염원하는 국민들 사이에 밀고 당기는 데몬스트레이션이 한창으로, 혼란이 재현되고 있는 곳이라서 더 가보고 싶은 곳이다. 이런 꿈이 내생전에 이루어 졌으면 하는 마음, 어찌 나혼자뿐이겠는가?
신이 존재 한다면, 나같은 생각을 하고 있는 7천만의 염원이 담긴 간절한 바램을 소귀에 경읽는 식으로 그냥 스쳐 지나게 하시지는 않을 것이라 굳게 믿는다.
9 December 2013 Last updated at 05:46 ET
Pictures released by the KCNA state news agency show uniformed guards approaching Chang Song-thaek at a public meeting
The guards then appear to remove Mr Chang from his seat and reports say he was taken from the meeting in full view of his former colleagues
The images broadcast by KCNA also focus heavily on North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un
Images of Chang Song-thaek were removed from a documentary entitled The Great Comrade, which was rebroadcast over the weekend
North Korea images confirm removal of Kim Jong-Un's uncle Chang Song-thaek
North Korea has broadcast images of the once powerful uncle of leader Kim Jong-un being removed from a meeting, confirming reports of his dismissal.
The dramatic images show Chang Song-thaek being escorted from a party session by uniformed guards.
The state news agency KCNA accused Mr Chang of forming factions against the state, corruption and "depraved" acts such as womanising and drug abuse.
Analysts say such a public dismissal is unique and could signal a wider purge.
It is the biggest upheaval in North Korea's leadership since Mr Kim succeeded his father two years ago. Seen as an economic reformer, he handled talks with Pyongyang's only major ally. China,
The KCNA state news agency said the decision was announced after a meeting of the ruling communist Korean Workers' Party Politburo over the weekend.
Pictures released by the KCNA state news agency show uniformed guards approaching Chang Song-thaek at a public meetingThe guards then appear to remove Mr Chang from his seat and reports say he was taken from the meeting in full view of his former colleaguesThe images broadcast by KCNA also focus heavily on North Korea's young leader Kim Jong-un
News of his dismissal filtered out in South Korea last week along with reports that two of his close aides had been executed for corruption. It is unclear when these latest images date from.
'Dissolute' life
The KCNA report accuses Mr Chang of being part of a faction working against the North Korean state.
"Chang pretended to uphold the party and leader but was engrossed in such factional acts as dreaming different dreams and involving himself in double-dealing behind the scenes."
It accused him of offences such as financial mismanagement and selling off national resources for his personal gain, but it also denounced him for leading what it called "a dissolute and depraved life".
"Ideologically sick and extremely idle and easy-going, he used drugs and squandered foreign currency at casinos while he was receiving medical treatment in a foreign country under the care of the party," the KCNA report said.
It added that he had "improper relations" with several women and "was wined and dined at back parlours of deluxe restaurants".
The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul says such an official announcement detailing his alleged crimes is unique.
Almost overnight, Chang Song-thaek has morphed from uncle and mentor to North Korea's young leader, to "anti-revolutionary" criminal outcast, our correspondent reports.
She adds that this could be seen as the latest in a series of carefully calibrated moves to demonstrate Kim Jong-un's control, yet another sign of his authority and an assertion of his independence.
Mr Chang is reported to have been stripped of all his positions and expelled from the party.
Images of Chang Song-thaek were removed from a documentary entitled The Great Comrade, which was rebroadcast over the weekend
On Saturday, North Korean state TV was also reported to have removed footage of Mr Chang from a documentary.
Past disappearance
Mr Chang had held senior posts in the ruling party and the National Defence Commission, the North's top military body.
He was seen as a key powerbroker at the time Kim Jong-un took over after Kim Jong-il died in 2011 - he is married to the elder Kim's sister.
He has often been pictured beside Kim Jong-un and was seen by some observers as the power behind the throne.
But despite his family ties to the leadership and senior status, he has been targeted in purges in the past.
In 2004, despite his place in the Kim family, he disappeared from public view.
One report at the time, citing South Korean intelligence, said Mr Chang had been placed under house arrest.
Others suggested he had been sent for "re-education". However, two years later he appeared to have been reinstated.
INTERACTIVE
Kim Jong-il
×Kim Jong-il was one of the world's most secretive leaders.Tales from dissidents and past aides created an image of an irrational, power-hungry man who allowed his people to starve while he enjoyed dancing girls and cognac.But a different picture was painted by Sung Hae-rim, the sister of one of Kim Jong-il's former partners in her memoir, The Wisteria House.She describes a devoted father and a sensitive, charismatic individual, although she admits even those closest to him were fearful of him.North Korean media depicted him as a national hero, whose birth to the country's founder, Kim Il-sung, was marked by a double rainbow and a bright star.Kim Kyung-hee
×The late Kim Jong-il's youngest sister and the wife of the man formerly regarded as the second most powerful figure in North Korea, Chang Song-taek.She has held a wide range of important Workers' Party positions including being a member of the all-powerful Central Committee.Her promotion to four-star general made Kim Kyung-hee the first North Korean woman ever to achieve such status.Analysts say Kim Kyung-hee and her husband were seen as mentors for the new leader Kim Jong-un, when he came to power in 2011. But news of her husband's dismissal from his senior military post in December 2013, suggests the most significant upheaval in North Korea's leadership since Mr Kim succeeded his father.Chang Song-taek
×Chang Song-taek is married to Kim Kyong-hui, the younger sister of the late Kim Jong-il. When the inexperienced Kim Jong-un became the new leader in 2011, the couple were widely thought to be acting as his mentors.In December 2013, the powerful uncle was denounced by the state-run news agency for corruption and images were shown of him being removed from a Politburo meeting by uniformed guards.Mr Chang's removal from his post as vice-chairman of North Korea's National Defence Commission - the country's highest military body and the heart of power - is the biggest upheaval in North Korea's leadership since Mr Kim succeeded his father.Kim Jong-nam
×Kim Jong-nam, 39, is Kim Jong-il's eldest son.Sung Hae-rang, the sister of Kim Jong-nam's deceased mother Sung Hae-rim, has written in her memoir that Kim Jong-il was extremely fond of Kim Jong-nam and was pained to be away from him. Like his half-brothers, Kim Jong-nam studied at an international school in Switzerland.His chances of succession appeared to be ruined when, in 2001, Japanese officials caught him trying to sneak into Japan using a false passport. He told officials that he was planning to visit Tokyo Disneyland.Some analysts argued that he may have been forgiven by his father, as there is precedent for the regime reinstating disgraced figures after a period of atonement. Confucian tradition also favours the oldest son.But in a rare interview while on a trip to China last year, Kim Jong-nam said he had "no interest" in succeeding his father.Kim Sul-song
×Kim Sul-song, 36, is Kim Jong-il's daughter born to his first wife, Kim Young-sook.Reports say she has worked in the country's propaganda department, with responsibility for literary affairs.One South Korean report said she had also served as her father's secretary.Kim Jong-chul
×Kim Jong-chul, 29, studied at an international school in Switzerland. He works in the WKP propaganda department.His mother, Ko Yong-hui, is said to have been the North Korean leader's favourite consort.However, Kenji Fujimoto, the pseudonym of a Japanese sushi chef who spent 13 years cooking for Kim Jong-il, has written that the leader considered his second son "no good because he is like a little girl".Kim Jong-un
×Kim Jong-un, the second son of Kim Jong-il and his late wife Ko Yong-hui, has been anointed "the great successor" by Pyongyang.Like his older brothers, he is thought to have been educated abroad.A Japanese sushi chef who worked for Kim Jong-il for 13 years up to 2001 said that he "resembled his father in every way, including his physical frame".Speculation that he was being groomed to succeed his father had been rife for years.But Kim Jong-un is an inexperienced, untested young man who has no political legitimacy other than his birth. He is inheriting a nation with nuclear weapons and a raft of difficult problems: almost no real economy, widespread hunger and tense relations with South Korea and the US.Ri Sol-ju
×Ri Sol-ju was introduced as Kim Jong-un's wife in state media reports about the opening of an amusement park in July 2012.Reports simply said he attended the event with his wife, "Comrade Ri Sol-ju".Little more is known about Ri Sol-Ju, although there has been much speculation about her background since pictures first emerged of Kim Jong-un with an unidentified woman. There is a North Korean singer of the same name, but she is not now thought to be the same person.State media did not mention when the couple got married.Kim Han-sol
×The grandson of Kim Jong-il and nephew of leader Kim Jong-un has said he wants to "make things better" for the people of his country.Kim Han-sol, 17, spoke of his dreams of reunification of the two Koreas in an television interview in Bosnia, where he is studying. Kim Han-sol said he had never met his grandfather or uncle.He described an isolated childhood spent mostly in Macau and China, after his birth in Pyongyang in 1995. In the future, he said he pictured himself going to university and then "volunteering somewhere".
What does purge say about North Korea's stability?
Mr Chang, second from left, has outgrown his usefulness to Kim Jong-un
North Korea's second most powerful figure has been purged from the country's ruling elite. State media accused Chang Song-thaek of challenging the leadership of Kim Jong-un and forming a rival faction within the Workers' Party. He has been stripped of all his official positions and expelled from the party, but what does his very public expulsion say about the stability of North Korea's opaque political machine, asks the BBC's Lucy Williamson?
Few countries choreograph their political drama quite like North Korea. And after surviving for months on scraps of news and hearsay about the regime, analysts of the country's politics have been thrown a juicy steak.
Almost overnight, Chang Song-thaek has morphed from uncle and mentor to North Korea's young leader, to "anti-revolutionary" criminal outcast. He has been stripped of all official positions, edited out of official documentary footage, and his forcible removal from a party meeting, as well as his long list of alleged misdeeds and character faults have been broadcast on state media.
The detail of those charges alone has startled many people; the report on North Korea's state news agency runs to several pages.
"It's unique," an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry said. "We haven't seen this kind of official announcement in the past - the very detailed explanation seems like an attempt to provide legitimacy for its decision."
'John the Baptist'
Chief among Mr Chang's charges: that he had challenged his country's leadership, arrogated control of economic, judicial and security affairs to himself, and tried to form his own rival faction within the ruling Workers' Party.
It is the biggest political shake-up since the death of the country's former ruler Kim Jong-il two years ago. But North Korea's political reporting of itself is rarely transparent, so what might this unusual glimpse through the looking glass actually mean?
Some analysts believe it could signal restlessness within the ruling elite. As news first surfaced of Mr Chang's purge, Professor Victor Cha of Georgetown University warned that "there is a great deal more churn inside the North Korean system than is popularly depicted in the media, even though Kim appears in control".
"If you have to take out the top people," he says, "that's usually a sign that things are quite dynamic, because if they were going well you wouldn't need to."
South Korea's online news site DailyNK, which has sources inside North Korea, believes Mr Chang's removal highlights a rift over how to boost growth in the country, perhaps sparked by China's successful economic reform process.
It quotes an unnamed source as saying that Chang Song-thaek "had been pushing for Chinese-style 'reform and opening', not a partial opening" as wanted by Kim Jong-un. "What started with conflict between the two," the source says, "ended in Chang's downfall."
Others, though, believe there is little policy difference among the top levels of government.
Dr Paik Haksoon, of Seoul's Sejong Institute, says that if divisions among Pyongyang's elite were serious, the regime would not have publicised them in this way, nor resolved them as quickly. Instead, he says, Mr Chang's expulsion is more a sign that the young Kim Jong-un has outgrown his tutor.
"Chang Song-thaek had finished his role as a bridge between the past and the future," he said. "You can compare him to John the Baptist in the Bible - the man of the Old Testament who played a bridging role for the new era of Jesus Christ."
But that role, in shepherding North Korea's young leader through the transition of power, had unexpected consequences.
Some experts see Mr Chang's removal as a sign of Kim Jong-un's growing authority
"The more people Chang attracted, the more powerful he became, and that was the challenge to Kim Jong-un," says Dr Paik. "Chang Song-thaek was such a big figure in North Korean politics that his removal demanded a long and detailed explanation on why he had to be expelled."
Even so what is surprising, says Dr John Delury of Yonsei University, is the acknowledgement by North Korea that "there are members of the Party, and the Kim family - people at the highest levels of government - who are deeply corrupt and disloyal. This level of admission about someone who until a month ago was right next to the leader - it is startling. And also a warning to others."
Read this way, Mr Chang's removal is another sign of Kim Jong-un's authority; the latest in a series of carefully calibrated moves to demonstrate his control, and his independence - from the former army chief, whom he purged last year; from China's leaders, whom he snubbed soon after taking power; and now from his closest advisor and confidante.
And that authority is being demonstrated, not just to a domestic audience, but an international one as well.
'Important barometer'
What is striking, says John Delury, is the speed with which North Korea got control of the story. "They very quickly went public with their version of what's happened to Chang Song-thaek," he said.
"In some ways, we can link this to new developments in North Korea's relationship with the world: they have a Twitter account, they put out videos on YouTube, they're much more integrated into the global conversation, and when they become the centre of that conversation, they pro-actively get their side of the story told."
But even with such a rare level of official detail around Mr Chang's removal from power, it is never easy to pin down the truth of what is actually going on.
"North Korea's official announcements are a very important barometer for us," an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry said, "and there are certain keywords within them that we pay particular attention to. But we also have other channels - official and unofficial - that we try to gather information from."
Mr Chang used to be the second most powerful person in North Korea
Other sources, though, can be equally problematic. "The study of North Korea tends to be dominated by political organisations, governments, intelligence organisations, think-tanks," says John Delury. And the North Korean sources themselves - whether government or defectors - tend to have very intense agendas."
He says that as a result of this lack of clear information, experts "tend to come up with a framework - you sort of have to. You start to fit facts to your framework and it becomes very hard to let go of it, and then you start missing things."
Haksoon Paik agrees that context is everything. And taking a stance - for example by writing a newspaper column - is a risky business: "it could improve my image or destroy it!" he says. But in the end, "when there are conflicting interpretations, you have to use your judgement".
And the long years of watching North Korea's state media do gradually bestow a cumulative kind of insight, he says. One of the reasons Dr Paik believes Kim Jong-un is so firmly entrenched in his position is the experience of watching him on television, from the moment of his accession until now.
"At first he wasn't very natural," he says. "He was quite awkward sometimes. But as time passed by, he was clearly enjoying his status. I remember one occasion, a few months after he took power, when he was delivering some 'on-the-spot guidance', with Chang Song-thaek beside him. Kim Jong-un turned suddenly towards his uncle, and Chang stiffened immediately in response, just like soldiers do with their generals. It was such a natural reaction, and I was rather shocked."
Rare moments like these are perhaps the closest we'll come, at least for now, to observing directly the workings of the North Korean state. Glimpses through the curtain of North Korean propaganda; fingered lovingly like prayer-beads, year after year, by those watching from outside.
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