Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of North Korea, would be a great example of a Machiavellian world leader today. Machiavelli says that if a leader must choose between love and fear, it would be better to choose fear. If one is only loved, people will not want to betray them because of their love and loyalty, but if one is only feared, people will not want to betray them for fear of what will happen to themselves. Between the two, the fear of one’s own safety is greater than fear of betraying a loved leader. Therefore, it is safer to be feared over loved (Machiavelli). Kim Jong Un follows this advice today in his leadership in North Korea.
Kim Jong Un is greatly feared in North Korea. The crime and punishment system is strict and unforgiving, so the people are afraid to do anything even questionable. Many crimes result in time in prison or prison camps. In these camps, the prisoners are deprived of food and are often forced to perform labor. One can be sent to such a place for even a small misdemeanor, and sometimes one can end up there even if they are innocent (Noland). There are no fair trials in this system, so if one is simply accused of a crime, they will most likely be punished accordingly.…show more content… There are over twenty crimes punishable by death, and the limits to what crimes are and are not worthy of the death penalty are unclear. There are about nine crimes which will always result in execution, but punishments for other crimes are decided by discretion, so anything could happen. Executions are often public, and many are inhumane. A military leader once fell asleep in a meeting with Kim, and he spent three days in a prison camp and then was executed by gun in front of other military leaders (Revealed). This punishment was extreme and unnecessary, but a good example of how the system typically works in North Korea under Kim Jong
