Abstract
This paper is a political and military study of Kim Jong-il. It analyzes his background and personality. It also digs into the political environment surrounding Kim Jong-il in order to determine whether he could be profiled enough to provide some predictability regarding how he might react to political stimuli.
The author begins with the assumption that because Kim Jong-il is Asian, he would have a proclivity toward Asian philosophers and strategists. The author theorizes that Sun Tzu would be the military strategist who would most influence Kim Jong-il's thinking as well as that of his North Korean military staff. The author's research identifies a thread of continuity linking the study of Sun Tzu's philosophy from Mao Zedong through Kim II Sung to Kim Jong-il. This is used as a basis for predicting how Kim Jong-il might react militarily.
In order to predict what he might do politically, the author analyzed the environment in which Kim Jong-il was raised, the economic and political structure of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Kim's behavior since assuming power. Finally, the author assesses the weapons' buildup in the DPRK and the US strategic response.
In conclusion, the author speculates about the potential political and military behavior of Kim Jong-il and provides a judgement regarding how the US should respond to Kim Jong-il.