North Korea. Monarchy?

[white_wolf]

This thought occurred to me while listening to another tea party rant that President Obama is going to make us a communist nation like North Korea. Aside from the fact that we are still very firmly capitalist I have to question whether North Korea can even be called a Communist state anymore. Their constitution has removed any reference to Marxism and power is passed down from father to son in a line of succession more similar to European Monarchs then the style of the USSR. Granted this isn't an very important post it was just something I thought of and was curious to hear DU's thoughts.

[Old and In the Way]

1. Sure looks that way to me, but

I wonder if kim Jong Il's son will have the same grip on power that Dad seems to have? I know the son is western educated and I have no idea how that will influence aNK's regional policies when he gets full control. I would think he'd be wanting to liberalize the economy and society, but that could be a threat to the military establishment that is the power behind the throne. Not sure I'd want be Kim jong Il's successor. I think I'd opt out of returning to NK to run that nation-prison.

[Puregonzo1188]

2. Next time a Tea Partier or anyone cites North Korea as an example of communism, socialism, marxism

or anything really note to them not only has references to Marxist-Leninism been removed from their Constitution and replaced with "Juche" that the official name of North Korea is the "Democratic Republic of Korea."

Ask them if North Korea is an example of democratic republicanism and if so, should we also oppose democratic republics.

[Xithras]

3. No, it's not a monarchy.

In a monarchy, the power of the monarch is checked by the nobility, who typically share a say in the administrative functions of the kingdom, and especially within the regions they govern themselves.

As an example: In England, the nation was broken into various dukedoms ruled by various dukes (Cornwall, York, Cumberland, etc). The throne was typically held by the family that held the most powerful dukedom, so they'd be "King of England and Duke of Whatever" (this has changed a bit in recent times, obviously). Still, the kings rule over the lands of his dukes was predicated on the OTHER dukes supporting him. All of his decisions were checked by the fact that he only actually controlled the army from his own dukedom, and that any wide scale fighting would require that the dukes (with THEIR independent armies) go along with him. For most of history, this was generally effective in keeping kings in check.

In a dictatorship, all government functions and armies are subservient to the will of the single leader. The leader answers to nobody, and the only threat against his rule is coup.

North Korea is a hereditary dictatorship.

[LeftinOH]

4. Patients released from NK hospitals give thanks to a giant portrait of Kim Jong Il;

NK is more like a divine monarchy.

[white_wolf]

5. I've never understood how they can call themselves an atheist nation

when their real official region is "kim-ism." I've heard some of the things they think about Kim Jong, stuff like he was born under a double rainbow.