Hunger Pains Test North Korea's Dynastic Succession

An anxious world, watching for signs of instability after the death of Kim Jong Il, has been reassured for the time being. After 37 years of brutal rule marked by firing squads and concentration camps, a father’s arrangements for transfer of power to his third son, Kim Jong Un, appear to be moving along smoothly.

But in the end, Kim’s legitimacy and poli…