‘The Great Successor’: Kim Jong-un marks five years as North Korean leader

Kim Jong-un stood on the stage in front of the stylised portraits of his father and grandfather, men he wasn’t supposed to be strong enough or cunning enough to succeed, lauding the “thrilling explosion” of the most recent nuclear test and the “leap forward in all sectors of the national economy”.

His Western-style suit, his haircut, his glasses, even his gravelly voice were all reminiscent of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the founder and “eternal president” of North Korea who, to this day, remains associated with strength and prosperity.

In front of him in the huge hall were 3,467 delegates, called in May to the first congress of the ruling Workers’ Party since 1981, before Kim Jong-un was even born. Among them were hard-nosed party stalwarts, the sort who had been expected by some analysts to turn against the inexperienced upstart when he first rose to the top. But there they were: men in military uniforms covered to the waist in medals, cheering party officials, scientists, the editor of the party newspaper, anti-Japanese revolutionary war veterans, field labourers.

It was Kim’s moment. It was his way of saying, “I’m in charge here.” And these were the people who were keeping him in power: the North Korean loyalists who, like Kim, have a vested interest in keeping the world’s most repressive regime intact.

Their support is enabling Kim to celebrate his fifth anniversary as the leader of North Korea on Saturday, propelling the communist monarchy into its 71st year.

The Kim family has ruled the country through fear and favours since the end of the second world war, when Kim Il-sung was chosen by Joseph Stalin to run it as a Soviet client state. His son, Kim Jong-il, continued the family rule for 17 years, until his death five years ago Saturday at age 69.