Kim Jong Un and Consolidating Power: Explaining Elite Appointment in the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee, 2012–2019.

This article analyzes how Kim Jong Un consolidated power in North Korea from 2012 to 2019 by examining elite appointment patterns within the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The study finds that during the early "guardianship period" (2012–2016), party and military elites—cohesive and unified groups—were preferentially appointed to key positions compared to cabinet elites, reflecting Kim's need to secure loyalty amid power struggles. After the 7th Party Congress in 2016, marking a shift to the "core group reorganization period," this preferential treatment diminished as Kim Jong Un's power became more consolidated, reducing the necessity to reward specific elite groups. These findings suggest ongoing tensions and strategic elite management within North Korea's authoritarian regime, highlighting the dynamic and negotiated nature of leader-elite relations rather than a static personalist dictatorship.