'Assassins': How Kim Jong-nam's murder served as Phase 1 of Kim jong-un's plan to instill loyalty in North Korea
When Kim Jong-un came to power in 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, he was less than 30 years old. As such, among the "old guard" in North Korea -- officials in the North Korean government who were appointed during his father's rule -- there was distrust in Kim Jong-un's ability to be an effective leader. Over nearly a decade of his rule, Kim Jong-un resorted to various methods to ensure that his rule was unquestioned and that his popularity with the North Korean citizens remained intact
One of those tactics used was his frequent abduction and killing of opponents within the country. The most famous example of that is undoubtedly the assassination of his older half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, in 2017. The assassination is the subject of Ryan White's latest documentary, 'Assassins', which pieces together key accounts of how the assassination took place and tells the story of the two women -- Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam -- who were tricked into carrying out the assassination on the pretext of a fake Japanese prank show.
What the documentary reveals is that Kim Jong-nam's assassination was just the first phase in Kim Jong-un's plan to instill loyalty among his officials. Their uncle, Jang Song-thaek had also been assassinated on Kim Jong-un's orders after it was revealed that he had proposed to China that it support a coup to replace Kim Jong-un with Kim Jong-nam.
According to USA Today, Kim Jong-un had more than 340 people executed since taking power in 2011, as of early 2016, based on details from a South Korean think tank. Among the people that Kim Jong-un executed, there were many senior officials who were believed to have opposed his rule. These include former education ministry official, Ri Yong Jin, former agricultural official, Hwang Min, former vice-premier of education, Kim Yong Jin, former army chief of staff, General Ri Yong-gil, former vice-premier, Choe Yong-san, former defense minister, Hyon Yong-chol, and more. Reasons for executions included "showing disloyalty" to Kim Jong-un, showing disrespect, challenging Kim Jong-un's leadership, corruption and others.
Dr John Hemmings who briefs the UK Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence on Asia-related matters spoke to The Sun and informed them that Kim Jong-un's methods are often inspired by Hollywood movies and that the North Korean leader views the purges as "a necessary exercise" to maintain his ruthless grip on power.
When Kim Jong-nam was assassinated, he had been growing increasingly dissenting towards Kim Jong-un, casting doubts on his half-brother's ability to lead and saying he does not support "third-generation dynasties." Kim Jong-nam was also reportedly working with the CIA to provide inside information on North Korea as well as Kim Jong-un, which was considered the highest breach of loyalty. It is believed that these suspicions led to the North Korean dictator ordering Kim Jong-nam's assassination. There had been previous attempts on his life before his death in 2017.
'Assassins' will in release theaters and on virtual cinema on December 11, 2020.