As widely known, this issue is shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Many speculate about the reason behind the death of dictator Kim Jong Un’s half-brother. This paper will also address the glaring question: why was Kim Jong Nam killed? To answer that very question, this section of the paper will analyze the possible motives of Kim Jong Nam’s controversial murder, and then make a convincing argument in order to reach a conclusion. There are many factors leading to the death of Kim Jong Nam, however, most likely, as in many cases of political feuds, the main trigger behind it is one: fear. Fear plays a great role in international politics, this is especially true under the Realism theory. There are several premises argued by Realists. First, the …show more content…
It helps to trace the root of this fear back to his lineage, the so-called royal bloodline of the Kim family. North Korea’s mythology is inseparable from that of the absolute monarch, the Great Leader. In most descriptions of Kim Jong Un in North Korean official communications, there often seems to be the phrase “Baekdu hyultong” or in other words, “Baekdu bloodline” in conjunction to his name. This is a reference to Mount Baekdu, the tallest mountain on the Korean peninsula, a staunch symbol of Korean nationalism, and is regarded to be the spiritual home for Koreans . From an early age, North Koreans are taught that the first Great Leader, the grandfather of Kim Jong Un, Kim Il Sung, had commanded anti-Japanese guerillas from a secret camp in Mount Baekdu during the Korean War. They are also conditioned to believe that his son, Kim Jong Il, the second Great Leader, was born at the Mountain after receiving its holy …show more content…
However, a lesser known fact about Kim Jong Un is that his now-dead mother, Ko Young Hee, was born in Japan and is believed to come from a Korean-Japanese background, which would make her son’s own heritage “impure” therefore slotting him into the lowest songbun class . Seeing that the sanctity of Baekdu bloodline is paramount to the legitimacy of power in North Korea, Kim Jong Un had to be extremely careful since he still had a half-brother that could challenge his right to the throne, Kim Jong Nam. This begs the question: so, why then, was Kim Jong Nam killed? The answer was quite clear. Returning to the security dilemma of states as argued by Realists, Kim Jong Un is arguably, facing the same thing. Kim Jong Nam has the capacity to rival his right to the throne, and although the half-brother hasn’t used the power in any way threatening to Kim Jong Un, the dictator very well can’t predict the intentions of his competition, especially future