North Korea wipes the traces of Kim Jong Un following the meeting with Putin
North Korea wipes the traces of Kim Jong Un following the meeting with Putin
That is a profound paradox in the recent meeting between Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing. On the one hand, North Korea is trying to build an image of a self-confident, trusted partner who is standing shoulder to shoulder with other great powers. Quite the opposite, the compulsive actions of the regime after the conclave show a kind of paranoia based on the safety of its leader.
North Korea wipes the traces of Kim Jong Un following the meeting with Putin
This clean-up exercise was a huge reminder of how hyper-secretive North Korea is and how concerned they are about the wellbeing of Kim.
A Public Display of Paranoia
Following a discussion with Putin, we see Kim ordering his aides to scrub all the surfaces that the North Korean leader touched manually. They cleaned his chair backrest and armrests and took away his glass on a tray. The whole process was filmed by a Russian journalist. This is not one time occurrence. His crew has previously cleaned furniture and cleared mattresses in hotel rooms to get rid of any biological traces as well.
These are the actions that demonstrate such an extreme care about the physical health of Kim. Moreover, they express the anxiety of the regime about spies. North Korea is a nation with a record of harsh treatment of anyone who appears to be a threat. Their security policies are however motivated mainly by the fear of outside aggressions.
This inner fear is thus manifested through the clean-up itself. It means that the regime cannot really trust its allies even in a supposedly friendly environment.
The Strategy of Secrecy
First, they would not allow foreign intelligence agencies to know about his health. Any underlying conditions could be identified by a medical examination of his DNA or other biological samples. Information about the health condition of Kim is an excellent bargaining tool in diplomatic talks and war plans. It would have enabled those opposing it to determine stability of the North Korean leadership and predict future succession issues.
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What is more, it is an important aspect of North Korean propaganda. Kim Jong Un has been projected by the regime as a great infallible leader. This was a well-formed image that would be destroyed by a public revelation of a serious illness or physical vulnerability. The cleanup operation is also a way of endorsing the myth of a powerful and impeccable leader.
A broader Geopolitics
The open dialogue in Beijing between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping was something. It was a greater anti-Western alliance. Recently North Korea has become increasingly integrated with Russia and has been accused of supplying weapons and soldiers to the war in Ukraine. Russia on the other hand can offer military and economic assistance to North Korea. The location of the three leaders is a very potent message of solidarity against the US and allies. However, the resultant cleans up exercise reveals the underlying mistrust that still exists. These dictatorial nations distrust each other but share interests and are publicly cordial towards each other. The incident reveals that instinct and control of information will always be the priority of North Korea even in areas where it may otherwise appear incompatible with their foreign diplomatic goals.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not reflect the official stance, policies, or perspectives of the Platform.
