The best president of Democratic People's Republic of Korea

[buritobr]

Which member of the family was the best one?

[RGM2609]

All are bad, but Kim Jong Un seems like the lesser evil since the change of course from 2018.

[Santander]

KJU is moving his country in the right direction.

[PSOL]

Before the two purges of the WPK, the North Korean government was more stable and provided a higher standard of living under Kim il-Sung. I have to give props for the land reform, participation in the decolonization of Africa, and 8 hour work day ensured in his early reign. I must, however,  digress that he botched future prosperity by creating a dynasty that looted the country.

Most reports on Kim Jong-Un shows that he is a reformer, and does seem to care about his nation. He has implemented reforms to turn the country into a standard capitalist system not as tightly controlled by the upper strata in NK. In doing so, he has demonstrated shrewdness by uniting the party under staying firm against Chinese influence and NATO, even embarrassing the world’s superpower. By all accounts, he has been a successful leader, but he’s being helped by his major opponent being led by a dofus.

The worst has to be the middle Kim. Under his tenure, the last competent advisors were purged, providing some of the highest profile defections ever seen. It was also he who created and expanded the prison camps and human rights violations started under his father, as well as presiding over further class stratification that has resulted in massive corruption. I must give notice that the famine was exacerbated by the country being closed off international markets to purchase modern agricultural equipment and the fall of the neighboring friendly communist states, but it’s not like this note makes up for all the other mistakes he made.

The best leader of North Korea is either the first or current Kim.

Edit: If you accept NK official historiography, then technically Kim Il-Sung led the resistance to Japanese, Chinese, and American intrusion into the Korean Peninsula.

[PSOL]

Indeed, the dynastic politics of the country and oppressive nature lies at the root of Kim Il Sung’s revisionist attitudes.

The Workers’ Party of Korea and Revisionism

Aligning with the National Capitalist class

”To build a Democratic People’s Republic, a united front is needed...including, ... National Capitalists

Disavowing a Proletarian democracy

”Nor is it a slavish copy of that in Socialist Countries...

So why did the National Capitalists support the party?

capitalist elements...remoulded...instead of expropriated

On Korean Socialism

first to transform...by using the cooperative economy

The above was voluntary

In one form of this “cooperation” the national capitalist gets

interest on the investment

Clearly errors were made by the Soviet Union in promoting Kim Il Sung into power over any other leadership. With the multiclass, social democratic Broad Front instead we might have seen a unified Korea ran under much more democratic principles that aligned with the Warsaw Pact, being key in winning the Cold War.

[SWE]

Kim Il-Sung was a fairly standard dictator, not good but wouldn't really clock my radar if I were to rate the worst of all time. And as PSOL pointed out, he did do some good for his people. This is not a defense of him, but it's very rare to see a historical figure who's completely without redeeming qualities.

That being said, "very rare" does not mean never, and we have an exception to that rule with Kim Jong Il. It's a shame North Korean history is so inaccessible in the West, the story of how he was able to consolidate power and create such an effective and brutally evil dictatorship is grimly fascinating, albeit not a story I'd reccommend looking into before bed or on a full stomach

[buritobr]

Until the 1970s, DPR Korea was a communist state like anyone like USSR, GDR, Cuba etc. After that it replaced the marxism-leninism to the Juche, which is somehow different, unique in the DPR Korea.

And until the 1970s, DPR Korea had a GDP per capita similar to the one from the Republic of Korea.

[Santander]

And until the 1970s, DPR Korea had a GDP per capita similar to the one from the Republic of Korea.

Yeah, but that's more because both sides were poor as dirt.

[PSOL]

Until the 1970s, DPR Korea was a communist state like anyone like USSR, GDR, Cuba etc. After that it replaced the marxism-leninism to the Juche, which is somehow different, unique in the DPR Korea.

And until the 1970s, DPR Korea had a GDP per capita similar to the one from the Republic of Korea.

Even during the 1960s there was stories of rising xenophobia in the DPRK. However, with the placement of Jong Il in charge of the propaganda department, it completely rose the Kim family to deities.

Now recently, KJU has began dismantling such a thing by removing both his father and grandfather as Grand Marshals, and he himself admitting there was guilt among the party from poor governance. It’s clear that KJU wants to end the imperial cult or at least cut the largesse of all of it.

[Mr. Smith]

The first by far.

Until the 1970s, DPR Korea was a communist state like anyone like USSR, GDR, Cuba etc. After that it replaced the marxism-leninism to the Juche, which is somehow different, unique in the DPR Korea.

And until the 1970s, DPR Korea had a GDP per capita similar to the one from the Republic of Korea.

Even during the 1960s there was stories of rising xenophobia in the DPRK. However, with the placement of Jong Il in charge of the propaganda department, it completely rose the Kim family to deities.

Now recently, KJU has began dismantling such a thing by removing both his father and grandfather as Grand Marshals, and he himself admitting there was guilt among the party from poor governance. It’s clear that KJU wants to end the imperial cult or at least cut the largesse of all of it.

Nah, he just knows the divine right approach doesn't work anymore.

[KaiserDave]

Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Un, NOT Kim Jong Il. Agreed entirely with SWE and PSOL.

But, PSOL, Wikipedia still says Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are Taewonsu.

[PSOL]

Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Un, NOT Kim Jong Il. Agreed entirely with SWE and PSOL.

But, PSOL, Wikipedia still says Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are Taewonsu.

Both should be removed from General Secretary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-un#Succession_as_General_Secretary_and_events_in_2021

[KaiserDave]

Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Un, NOT Kim Jong Il. Agreed entirely with SWE and PSOL.

But, PSOL, Wikipedia still says Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are Taewonsu.

Both should be removed from General Secretary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-un#Succession_as_General_Secretary_and_events_in_2021

Oh wow
Referring to him as President too???
That’s a BFD

[PSOL]

Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Un, NOT Kim Jong Il. Agreed entirely with SWE and PSOL.

But, PSOL, Wikipedia still says Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are Taewonsu.

Both should be removed from General Secretary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-un#Succession_as_General_Secretary_and_events_in_2021

Oh wow
Referring to him as President too???
That’s a BFD

Not as big as the main socialist paper in South Korea repeating a communique that North Korea doesn’t see reunification as something the North should pursue, instead moving to internal development.

I don’t have the link to it, but it was by hanrenyo-something

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

KJU is least bad of the three.