North Korea is shifting to a collective rule after being led by a strongman dictatorship since its founding, Reuters is reporting. After dictator Kim Jong-il’s died on December 17, 2011, his son Kim Jong-un was appointed as the new head of the ruling coterie. The military has pledged allegiance to Jong-un, who will take over his family’s dynasty that has ruled North Korea since it was founded in 1945.

The collective ruling between Jong-un, his uncle Jang Song-thaek and the military will be the first time North Korea has been governed by a group of people. Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung, the country’s only leaders since it was established, were both authoritarian rulers.

A military coup is unlikely to happen, as the military has reportedly given its backing to Jong-un. The collective ruling was installed, as Jong-un isn’t strong enough yet to consolidate power. However, he does have supporters in his generation, as well as some in his father’s generation.

Koh Yu-hwan, the president of the Korean Association of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the coterie was implemented by Jong-il before he died. “The relative calm seen these few days shows is been effective,” he said. He added that Jong-un will accept the arrangement for now, but “considering the tradition of strongarm rule by his father and grandfather, things can’t be easy for him.”

Written by: Karen Benardello