Comparative Analysis of Kim Family Discourse (Speaker Session)

November 2018 No Comments

“Comparative Analysis of Kim Family Discourse”

Speaker: Kuznar, L. (NSI, Inc. / Purdue University- Fort Wayne)

Date: 14 November 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Larry Kuznar (NSI, Inc. / Purdue University- Fort Wayne) as a part of its SMA INDOPACOM Speaker Series. For his study, Dr. Kuznar and his team conducted a comparative analysis of the three Kim family leaders to determine whether Kim Jong-un differs from previous leaders in meaningful ways and whether things are likely to change based on his behavioral patterns. Dr. Kuznar then briefly discussed North Korea’s cultural and political background, highlighting the main elements underlying Juche philosophy and explaining the Songbun caste system. He reviewed NSI’s approach to discourse analysis and explained the reasoning behind the historical time period divisions of each leader’s corpus. Next, he highlighted the political and quasi-religious themes that remained prevalent in Kim family discourse and concepts that decreased in prevalence. He also specified the changes in Kim Jong-un’s rhetoric over time and identified who the Kims talk about, the emotive themes expressed by the Kims, and the rhetorical devices they deploy. Dr. Kuznar concluded his presentation by pinpointing when themes changed in Kim discourse (particularly during transitions between leaders) and reviewing his key takeaways.