The purpose of this study is to elucidate the charismatic leadership of the Supreme Leader as the operational principle of the hereditary succession system characterized by three generations of blood ties and the unique governing system in D.P.R.K’s society. This study begins with the hypothesis that the power mechanisms within D.P.R.K’s society operate not only through the coercive and physical control of the Supreme Leader but also through the emotional support and approval of subordinate members for the authority of the Supreme Leader. A paramount leader who must continuously cultivate their governing authority utilizes ‘On-the-Spot Guidance’ as the most effective operational mechanism for frequent interaction with the governed. Therefore, this study analyzes the ‘On-the-Spot guidance’ of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un, aiming to derive the similarities and differences in the generation and establishment of charismatic authority among each leader.
Kim Il-sung established an authoritarian charismatic rule of warlords through ‘On-the-Spot guidance’ that emphasized the spirit of anti-Japanese resistance and anti-American sentiment, and he also secured a pure form of charismatic governance by visiting the living spaces of the people as part of his activities to improve the socialist people’s economy. During the Korean War, emphasis was placed on frontline support initiatives, establishing a charisma characterized by a blend of purity and warrior ethos. This indicates that Kim Il-sung is perceived by the subjects as an extraordinary hero and an omnipotent problem-solver, providing a perspective through which the initial formation of D.P.R.K’s society can be elucidated from a sociological standpoint on religion.
Kim Jong-il, alongside Kim Il-sung, engaged in ‘on-the-Spot guidance’ within the realms of public welfare and military affairs, learning methods to create pure and militant forms of charismatic authority. Subsequently, he established a hereditary form of charismatic authority within the political symbolic space. The analysis of Kim Jong-il’s ‘on-the-Spot guidance’ offers a perspective that the heir can utilize ‘on-the-Spot guidance’ as a form of charismatic education, thus creating a distinct type of charismatic ruling authority.
Kim Jong-un engages in on-site guidance related to civilian life and military affairs, collaborating with Kim Jong-il to learn the charisma of purity and warrior-like traits. Simultaneously, he cultivates the charisma characteristic of hereditary successors within the realm of political symbolism. Kim Jong-un, operating within a context where the establishment and maintenance of charismatic authority are more precarious than those experienced by his predecessors, exhibits a distinctive trait in the formation of his own charismatic rule. This is achieved through the integration of pure-warrior, pure-hereditary, and warrior-hereditary types of authority. The analysis of Kim Jong-un’s ‘on-the-spot guidance’ reveals that Max Weber’s classical types of charismatic authority can be newly applied to the modern state of D.P.R.K.
In conclusion, the charismatic rule of D.P.R.K’s supreme leaders, exercised through ‘on-the-spot guidance’, functions as one of the key mechanisms sustaining the operation of the three-generational hereditary succession system.
Keyword : the D.P.R.K, Supreme Leader, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un, Three-generational hereditary succession system, Charismatic Domination, ‘on-the-Spot-Guidance’, Pure-type of Charismatic Dominant Authority, Warrior-type Charismatic Dominant Authority, Hereditary-type Charismatic Dominant Authority, Combined type of Pure-Warrior Charismatic Dominant Authority, Combined type of Pure-Hereditary Charismatic Dominant Authority, Combined type of Warrior-Hereditary Charismatic Dominant Authority, People’s Living Space, Regime Space.
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