Special to WorldTribune.com
By East-Asia-Intel.com”>Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com
North Korea’s newly-installed ruler Kim Jong-Un has been accelerating efforts to form his own independent power base, placing individuals loyal to him in key positions of authority after purging a number of potential rivals, sources in Seoul said.
“A series of reshuffles are undergoing in the Party, the People’s Army and Cabinet, a move pushed by Kim Jong-Un to structure his own power base independently from his father,” said a source familiar with North Korean affairs.
Kim, believed to be in his late 20s, became ruler of the “Hermit Kingdom” following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, in December.
But this left the young, untested heir vulnerable to power struggles because he did not have the decades of grooming and time to secure a power base that his father enjoyed before assuming control from his own father, Kim Il-Sung. Kim Jong-Un has little experience.
“In this sense of fear, Kim feels compelled to speed up political shakeups at the risk of possible backlash from those dismissed,” the source said.
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