Change in DPRK

Young successor ripe for elevation to North Korea presidency


North Korea Times

Tuesday 28th September, 2010


According to North Korean media, the son of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, has been made a general by the country's ruling party.



It is believed that Kim Jong-il persuaded members of the Workers Party to install his son into the position during the first day of the largest political meeting in decades.



It has recently been reported by South Korean intelligence services that 68-year-old leader, Kim Jong-il, is battling several illnesses, including the aftermath of a stroke.



Since the reports of illness, speculation has arisen that the meeting of party officials in Pyongyang will officially anoint Kim Jong-un as the chosen successor to Kim Jong-il, who himself was anointed in the same way by his own father at the last major party event in 1980.



If Kim Jong-un receives a senior party position as a complement to him being made a general, it is likely he will soon take over from his father, who is seen in the country as a god-like figurehead.



It is believed the younger man has been working in the influential Workers Party Bureau of Organization and Guidance, which is involved in the hiring, firing and promotion of the country's elite.



The state-run Korean Central News Agency also reported that Kim Jong-il's sister, Kyong-hui, was also named a general.



Kim Jong-un, a little known figure in North Korea, is Swiss-educated and in his mid-20s.