UN Secretary General ridiculed Kim Jong Un’s capricious leadership

North Korea called off the visit by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in less than a day after the UN Secretary General’s announcement to visit the Kaesong Industrial Complex. This shows how unpredictable and irrational North Korea is. Ban said on Wednesday morning before his opening remarks at the Seoul Digital Forum, “Pyongyang suddenly informed us through a diplomatic channel early this morning that it cancels its decision to allow my visit to the Kaesong Industrial Complex.” He said that Pyongyang did not explain anything about why it cancelled the visit. Its one-sided decision is a serious discourtesy in diplomacy as Ban expressly said, “It is very regrettable.”

There are many interpretations over why North Korea abruptly called off Ban’s visit to the complex, which was coordinated through the U.N. It could have been unhappy about Ban who pointed out that North Korea’s nuclear and missile development is in violation of the U.N. Security Council resolution when announcing his plan to visit North Korea on Monday. Or it could have been angry about US Secretary of State John Kerry’s mention about the international community’s increased pressure on North Korea on Sunday.

What is clear is that North Korea’s decision-making process is not working in a reasonable manner. Few could stop Kim Jong Un when he makes a decision ridiculing the head of the U.N. Who can dare to say anything out of fear at a time when people saw the brutal execution of the leader’s key man?

Some clinical psychologists say that Kim Jong Un has an “ego inflation” which is commonly found among dictators, as his behavior is hard to accept from a common-sense point of view. As Kim has lived doing whatever he wants and has never experienced frustration, failure or lagging behind, he thinks himself as an almighty god and cannot controls himself. His reign of terror – as shown in the case of the sudden cancellation of his visit to Russia and the rumor on the execution of Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol – reflects the instability of the regime. If one feels more insecurity, one could show a self-destructive behavior.

Although Ban planned to visit North Korea for peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, he inadvertently lost his face. It is sad to hear that some in the U.N. say that he was “too naive.” North Korea’s National Defense Commission said that it can now produce small and various nuclear weapons, criticizing the U.N. Security Council is an “organization where the U.S. makes its own decision and abuses its power” on Wednesday. Kim Jong Un could attempt a provocation for a breakthrough when he gets a poorer reputation in the international community and North Korea is further isolated. We need to stay more vigilant.