How difficult would it be to assassinate Kim Jong-un?
For someone close to him: Not very hard. We are all one bullet away from being a lifeless husk.
For almost everybody else: Next to impossible.
Here are several reasons among the many:
- Kim is surrounded by either handpicked people or those whose loyalty is above reproach. No one likely gets in to see Kim without getting thoroughly searched and having a damn good reason to be there.
- Kim rarely has to appear in public — Unlike a leader in a democratic country who has to make frequent public appearances, a dictator almost never has to appear in public. And when they do, it can be carefully choreographed and stage-managed appearances where there is no chance of an incident occurring.
- Kim probably arrives and leaves places he visits at random times. The random nature of his timing makes it extremely difficult for people to set up ambushes or plant explosive devices.
- Most of the people who might be inclined to kill Kim and who live in North Korea are either in custody, under surveillance or are dead. In an authoritarian society, anyone who is perceived as being a threat can be arrested and imprisoned for spurious charges and be held indefinitely. Those who won’t be deemed as being martyrs can be killed without many (if any) repercussions.
- Most major nations have sanctions against the assassination of civilian leaders outside of wartime. Those sanctions preclude the planning and scheduling of any such act and would make it impossible for the parties which could undertake such an act.
If Kim Jong-Un was going to be killed, it would be the result of plotting by someone in his inner circle. There are too many obstacles in the way for most other people to attempt it.