North Korean Leader Establishing Son as Heir Apparent
Kim Young-jin
Staff Reporter
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has been making concerted efforts to establish his youngest son as heir apparent, a top U.S. military officer said Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
"Over the past year, Kim has systematically introduced his third and youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as the heir apparent," said Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of the U.S. Forces in Korea, testifying before a House Appropriations Committee hearing.
It was the first public acknowledgement by a U.S. official on the power transition. It has been widely rumored that Jong-un is being groomed by his father to take the reins of the communist state.
The assessment came as North Koreans deal with a worsening economic and food situation after its 2009 currency revaluation caused severe inflation and savings to be wiped out.
Gen. Sharp also said that "the role of the military in Pyongyang's decision-making apparatus appears to be more prominent as highlighted by last year's expansion of the National Defense Commission (NDC) authorities."
Last year, the commission appointed several military officers to the NDC ― the country's highest-ranking body ― in what is regarded as an attempt to position within it figures close to Kim in order to help Jong-un consolidate power.
Gen. Sharp said that despite public discontent over the disastrous currency revaluation, loyalty to Kim Jong-il among the North's ruling elite "appears unwavering," given that their "privileged position apparently rests upon the continuance of the status quo."
But he did not rule out a possible collapse of the regime, saying, "We would also be mindful of the potential for instability in North Korea.
"Combined with the country's disastrous centralized economy, dilapidated industrial sector, insufficient agricultural base, malnourished military and populace, and developing nuclear programs, the possibility of a sudden leadership change in the North could be destabilizing and unpredictable."
In regards to the health of the 68-year-old North Korean leader, Gen. Sharp said: "Kim Jong-il appears to have recovered from an apparent stroke in the summer of 2008 and remains in full control of North Korea," he said.