Incentivizing Solidarity: the Kim Regime’s Employment of Mafia Tactics

Abstract

With the predominance of seemingly continuous instability due to unconventional power shifts, devastating famines, and pervasive human rights violations, speculation of collapse within North Korea has abounded in the international community for decades. With similar occurrences bringing about the collapse of authoritarian regimes throughout history, it is inconceivable to the international sphere that the North Korean regime can continue to rule over a country stricken by decimating famine, suffering extreme human rights conditions, and subject to seemingly erratic and haphazard mass arrests, purges, and public executions. However, despite each of these occurrences which should seemingly lead to a toppled regime or mass uprising, the Kim family has maintained control of the northern half of the peninsula.This paper breaks down the power structure of the Sicilian and the American Italian Mafia to create a progression of steps which the organizations have used to maintain power. This structure is used to dissect which tactics and techniques the Kim family has employed in order to found, build, and maintain power through three generations, despite exceptionally unfavorable ruling conditions.