The Transformation of Kim Jong-un

After years of isolation on the global stage, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has emerged from an heir apparent who orchestrated execution of his uncle and assassination of his half-brother. He is becoming a skillful diplomat on the spotlight. The world witnesses his transformation from a spendthrift on hydrogen bomb and intercontinental ballistic missile testing to a connoisseur of political games. In due process, Trump, more than twice Kim’s 34 years of age, has called Kim “short and fat,” a “sick puppy” and a “little rocket man.” And Kim has called Trump a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard,” all the while formulating relations with China, Russia, Syria, South Korea and the US.

In April of 2018, Kim drove a historic inter-Korean summit, following co-staging of the Winter Olympics in 2017 with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in. Pyongyang also proposed direct talks with the US, and ordered a halt to nuclear and missile tests, freed three US detainees, and blew up its nuclear testing site.

Thus, despite fiery rhetoric, brinkmanship and domestic despotism, the Trump-Kim summit is to be held on Singapore's Sentosa island on June 12, 2018. Vladimir Putin has extended an invitation for Kim to Vladivostock in September and Syria's President Assad has said he would also like to visit Pyongyang. Kim is stepping out as the delegate of a nuclear power and negotiating with world leaders from a strategic position.

This new diplomatic strategy embodies desire and necessity to strengthen and support North Korea’s economy and modernization. To focus on economy after the completion of his weapons development, Kim needed to forge new and old coalitions.

China, North Korea's main trading affiliate and US’s strategic partner, was the first country for Kim to realign. Kim’s two visits to China in May happened days before he met the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The trade talks with China’s Chairman Xi paved the way for North Korea to play US off against China and vice versa. China prefers staggered denuclearization and lift of sanctions to stabilize North Korea's economy.

Similarly, Kim used Moscow as leverage. Former North Korean spy chief Kim Yong-chol was on his way to the United States to deliver the “strangely large” letter to Trump for his “Supreme Leader.” Meanwhile, Kim welcomed the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Pyongyang. Coincidence or not, the frenemy relationship between Trump and Kim was at stake.

Syrian President Bashar-al Assad's relationship with Pyongyang is one that may also worry the US and the UN. North Korea established diplomatic relations with Syria in 1966 and sent troops and weapons to the country during the Arab-Israeli war in October 1973. Between 2012 and 2017, North Korea was reported to transport to Syria acid-resistant tiles, valves and pipes that could be used to make chemical weapons.

South Korean leader Moon has encouraged normalization of ties with North Korea via security and economic assurances, whereas Trump has recently revised his judgement of Kim, calling him “smart and gracious” and “very honorable.” Seemingly, the whole world is being hoodwinked by Kim, while skeptics maintain that he is unlikely to yield his nuclear weapons, or relieve the grip of his repressive regime. Proven to be a skilled or even beguiling statesman, Kim will hopefully phase out his own mystic masks and agenda to modernize his country and in time, become a stable, peaceful member of our global community.

金正恩的形象改造

多年沉寂，北韩的领导金正恩已改造其国际舞台形象，不再只是一个谋杀亲人而得以继承政治领导地位的小人，而成为众人瞩目的老练外交家。世人见证了他的转变，从一个从事氢弹、洲际弹道导弹试验的野心家，进而演变成一个政治游戏的行家。在这转化过程中，年纪大他两倍（金为 34 岁）的美国川普总统曾批评其为"又矮又胖"，像一"生病的小狗"，又称他为"小火箭人"，而金正恩则称川普为"精神失常的美国老人 ”。激烈言辞批判的同时，北韩已制定并发展了与中国、俄罗斯、叙利亚、韩国和美国的外交关系。

2018年 4月两韩的领导人举行了一个具有历史意义的南北首脑会晤，之前并于2017年共同协力出现于冬季奥运会的盛场。平壤也提出与美国进行直接谈判的建议，并下令停止核武器和导弹试验，释放了 3 名被拘留的美籍人士，炸毁了北韩境内的核武试验场。

由此，火热的言辞批判、威吓边缘政策及专制领导模式可以成为过往云烟， Trump-Kim 的首脑会议可于2018年6月12日于新加坡圣淘沙岛举行。俄国普京也已邀请金正恩于9月造访 Vladivostock ，而叙利亚的阿萨德总统则指出他也想造访平壤。金正恩成了国际核武谈判的重要成员，与世界各地的领导人从事战略性的正面会晤。

这一新的外交战略体现了北韩加强经济发展和现代化建设的实践欲望和必要性。金正恩在完成武器发展后，将重点放在经济，并需要建立新的国际联盟和重修旧时友好关系。

中国为北韩的主要经济联盟，也是美国的战略伙伴，乃是金正恩第一个需要进行友好关系调整的对象。金于5月会见美国国务卿Pompeo数日之前，已完成两次访华。与中国习近平主席的贸易谈判为金正恩铺平了道路，使之得以拿中国克制美国，或者用美国来克制中国。中国支持逐步去除北韩核武，并解除其经济制裁，以稳定北韩的情

同样地，金正恩也用莫斯科来克制国际压力。前北韩间谍科长金龙哲亲自为其最高领导递送"奇大的信函"给川普总统的同时，金正恩也在北韩欢迎俄罗斯外长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫的造访平壤。不管巧合与否，这之间利害攸关的乃是川普和金正恩之间的“敌友“政治关系。

叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德和平壤的关系，是一可能使美国和联合国担忧的情势。北朝与叙利亚在1966年建立外交关系，于1973年10月派遣军队和武器来支援该国在以阿战争当时的需求。 2012和2017年之间，北朝据报道也曾运输到叙利亚多装耐酸瓷砖、阀门和管器，这些装备可用于制造化学武器。

南朝领导文在寅一直鼓励通过安全和经济的保证来促进各国与北韩关系的正常化，而川普总统也修订了他对金正恩的判断，改称他为"明智和亲切"，而且”具有非常的荣誉”。当今看来，整个世界似乎蒙蔽于金的政治手腕之下，而政治分析人士也质疑金正恩放弃核武或释放专政把手的可能性。不论如何，事实已证明金正恩可以呈现一个熟练高湛的政治家面相。只望金逐步去除神秘的面具和议程来为北韩进行现代化，而日后世人将可目睹一个稳定的、和平的国际社会成员。

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