N. Koreas heir-apparent given political posts
Kim Jong-il renamed party leader at rare meeting
By Kim Se-jeong
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's son was appointed as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party, the North's state media reported early Wednesday, in a clear sign that the succession is underway.
The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of the top leader, was also named as member of the party's Central Committee.
The appointments are the first publicly announced posts given to the heir-apparent.
The Workers’ Party convened its biggest meeting in 30 years, Tuesday, and reconfirmed leader Kim Jong-il as its general secretary. The “Dear Leader” gave his third son, Jong-un, the military title of general.
The North’s state television said Tuesday, ``We solemnly declare both here and abroad that Kim Jong-il has been nominated with the united will of all party members, the military and the people.”
There was no word yet on whether the ailing 68-year-old leader was in attendance. The party meeting had initially been forecast to convene in early September, but was postponed to Tuesday without an explanation.
The state media began reporting Sunday that the delegates were arriving in Pyongyang and that they paid a visit to the mausoleum where the body of the late North Korean founder and Kim Jong-un’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, is on display.
On the eve of the party meeting came the political debut of Jong-un, and the political confirmation of his aunt, Kim Kyoung-hui.
According to the KCNA, “Kim Jong-il on Sept. 27 has given order No.0051 promoting several commanding officers” and “the order gave Kim Jong-un, Kim Kyoung-hui and Choi Hae-ryong the rank of general.”
Choi Hae-ryong, a close family aide, was promoted with three others.
The renaming of Kim Jong-il as party boss and the promotion of the 64-year-old aunt is construed as meaning that the North is beginning in earnest a third-generation power transfer.
The political surge of the aunt is noticeable, especially as Kim Jong-il’s health is reportedly declining.
Former Japanese Defense Minister Yuriko Koike wrote in September about the “ambitious aunt” posing an obstacle to the succession. She is married to Jang Song-thaek, considered to be the second most powerful leader in the North as vice chairman of the North’s National Defense Commission.
“In a given situation where Jong-un is still young and inexperienced, and public support for Jong-un is weak, what his father is trying to do is to create a pool of seasoned members of the party and the military that will support him, who include Kim Kyoung-hui and Choi Hae-ryong," said Prof. Yang Moo-jin at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
For example, Choi will play a bridging role between the party and the military, whereas Kim will work between the father and the son, Yang said.
Kim Jong-il reportedly suffered a stroke in 2008. His ailing health prompted him to make a trip to China in August ― when former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was awaiting to meet him in Pyongyang and the second in a year ― in an attempt to get endorsement for his son from China, the North’s closest ally.
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification did not react to the North’s meeting but took the announcement as confirmation of Jong-un’s succession.
북한 김정은, 당 중앙군사위 부위원장, 중앙위원
북한 김정일 국방위원장의 후계자 김정은이 28일 열린 노동당 대표자회에서 당 중앙군사위원회 부위원장과 당 중앙위원회 위원으로 선임됐다고 조선중앙통신이 29일 새벽 전했다.
김위원장은 28일 30년 만에 소집한 제3차 당 대표자회에서 당 총비서로 재추대됐다고 중앙통신이 보도했다.
이에 앞서 김위원장은 후계자인 셋째 아들 김정은에게 인민군 대장 칭호를 부여했다고 통신이 전했다.
북한의 대외적인 공식 발표에 후계자 김정은의 이름이 들어간 것은 이번이 처음이며, 이는 김정은 후계구도의 공식화를 의미하는 것으로 풀이된다.
중앙통신은 노동당 대표자회는 모든 당원, 군부 그리고 인민의 뜻을 모아 김정일 위원장을 노동당 총비서로 추대할 것을 엄숙히 선언한다고 발표했다고 밝혔다.
통신은 이날 노동당 대표자회에 김위원장이 직접 참석했는지 여부는 밝히지 않았다. 당초 이날 회의는 9월 상순에 열릴 예정이었으나 북한 당국의 설명 없이 이날로 연기되었다.
중앙통신은 "김정일 동지께서 27일 인민군 지휘성원들의 군사칭호를 올려줄데 대한 명령 제0051호를 하달하셨다"면서 "명령에는 김경희, 김정은, 최룡해 등 6명에게 대장의 군사칭호를 올려준다고 지적되어 있다"고 밝혔다.
김위원장이 당 총비서로 재지명된 것과 김위원장이 유일한 여동생인 김경희를 대장에 임명한 것은 북한이 3대 권력세습을 본격적으로 시작한 것으로 풀이된다. 김경희는 국방위원회 부위원장을 맡고 있는 북한의 제2인자로 간주되는 장성택의 처이다.