January 29, 2026
SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to be placing greater emphasis on fear as a tool of governance, delivering on-the-spot disciplinary measures during site visits, according to a state-backed think tank report Tuesday.
A report by the Korea Institute for National Unification said Kim appears to have shifted his focus from appearing benevolent in on-site inspections, choosing instead to issue immediate punishment for policy failures — a move widely seen as reaffirming the hierarchy of power.
“Kim’s on-site guidance has rapidly transformed into a form of ‘on-the-spot judgment,’ in which failures are immediately penalized at the scene,” the report said.
Park Eun-joo, a senior research fellow at the institute, elaborated on the concept of “on-site judgment,” noting that unlike in the past — when criticism typically led to follow-up administrative measures through party or judicial bodies — Kim is now exercising his personnel authority directly and immediately during inspections.
“This reflects an attempt to functionally transform on-site guidance from a venue for encouragement into a space of summary judgment,” Park said. “It underscores the leader’s effort to reinforce his stature not merely as an overseer, but as a ‘judge’ who delivers personnel and quasi-judicial decisions on the spot.”
Kim has demonstrated this approach repeatedly in recent years.
During flood recovery efforts in 2024, he dismissed senior officials following the convening of an emergency Politburo meeting. Early last year, cases of corruption involving officials in Nampo and Chagang Province were designated as “especially grave criminal cases.”
More recently, Kim abruptly removed Yang Seung-ho, a deputy premier overseeing the machine industry sector, during the inauguration ceremony of the Ryongsong Machine Complex in Hamheung, South Hamgyong Province.
Such actions stand in contrast to the “people-friendly” image Kim sought to cultivate in the early years of his rule. During periods of systemic strain, Kim has increasingly stepped to the forefront rather than directly exercising punitive authority — a shift the report described as a return to fear-based governance.
Park said that such practices are likely intended to internalize a sense of constant vulnerability within North Korea’s bureaucratic elite, reinforcing the perception that “anyone can become a target of judgment at any time” and strengthening overall control.
Meanwhile, the report also assessed that the timing of this shift is significant, as the regime approaches the ruling Workers’ Party’s ninth congress, widely expected to take place sometime early this year.
“With the congress set to review the regime’s performance over the past five years, international sanctions and resource shortages have limited visible progress under the Regional Development Policy, announced in January 2024,” the report said.
Park, however, warned that a fear-driven leadership style could produce adverse effects, including resistance within the bureaucracy and paralysis in administrative execution, which could ultimately undermine regime cohesion.
The upcoming party congress also comes amid mounting speculations that that Kim may further reinforce a leadership hierarchy centered on the Kim family, including by elevating his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, to a more prominent public position.