The death of Kim Jong II on December 17th could prove to be a turning point for the people of North Korea.  Kim Jong II ruled North Korea with an iron fist for over seventeen years.  He was an eccentric leader that wore platform shoes to compensate for his 5’1″ – 5’5″ height.  He isolated his country and resisted peaceful gestures form outsiders to protect his regime’s death grip on North Korea.

Mr. Jong’s iron-fisted rule has subjected the people of North Korea to extreme suffering, poverty, and food shortages.  According to Park (2009), severe food shortages have claimed millions of lives during the mid 1990s.  Thousands of of malnourished and starving North Koreans have escaped to neighboring countries in search of food and a new way of life.  Choi et al. (2010), found that adult defectors to South Korea suffered from poor nutrition and exhibited poor physical health.

From my perspective, Mr. Jong II was a little man that chose to build an arsenal of missiles in lieu of feeding his people.  I’m hopeful that his successor will make the necessary economic, political, and human rights reforms necessary to provide the people of North Korea with the basic necessities to live a decent life.  I can only hope that Kim Jong’s son is only half the tyrant that he was.

References

Choi, S, Park, S & Joung, H 2010, ‘Still life with less: North Korean young adult defectors in South Korea show continued poor nutrition and physique’, Nutrition Research and Practice, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 136 – 141.

Park, Y 2009, ‘The political economy of economic reform in North Korea’, Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 529 – 549.