조선의 왕위 계승 성패와 북한의 후계체제 비교

A Study of Comparison of Succession Issue in Joseon Kingdom and North Korea

Kim Jong-un was appointed as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of North Korea’s Workers’ Party in Sep. 2010, and assumed the leadership when Kim Jong-il died of sudden death in Dec. 2011. This article intends to forecast the Kim Jong-un regime in comparison to the historical experiences of Joseon Kingdom. There is a difference between Joseon Kingdom and modern society, but it is important to compare the two. These share not only regional and foreign relations characteristics of the Korean peninsula, but also ethnic, cultural, historical and ideological ones of Korean communities. Joseon Kingdom experienced historical lessons while changing 27 kings during more than 500 years, and which is the meaningful references in the succession of the successor issue of Kim Jong-un. Sovereign powers in the Joseon Kingdom history were lost in these cases : King did not have self-defense power, lost upper-class ruling power support because of the tyranny, was challenged by opposition forces due to policy conflicts, and when the strong outside national power attempted unification, the case happened. In current North Korean regime, the possibility is in the case of attempt of strong outside national power’s unification and opposition force growth due to policy conflicts. Judging by the historical experiences of succession to the throne of Joseon Kingdom, it is a formidable task that Kim Jong-un takes the throne and maintains it.