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North Korean leader annoints son as heir
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has signalled the anointment of his youngest son as heir to the ruling family dynasty as the rival Koreas bolstered their militaries along a disputed sea border on Tuesday.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:00 June 2, 2009
Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has signalled the anointment of his youngest son as heir to the ruling family dynasty as the rival Koreas bolstered their militaries along a disputed sea border on Tuesday.
North Korea, whose increasingly military posturing after last week's nuclear test has prompted US and South Korean forces to raise the alert level, is readying mid-range missiles for test launches, the South's Yonhap news agency reported a lawmaker as saying after a defence briefing.
The news rattled financial markets in Seoul, adding to worries over reports the impoverished state is preparing to test fire a long-range missile that could fly as far as US territory.
The main Seoul index closed slightly down.
Analysts believe that Kim Jong-il, whose power base stems from his support for the military, may be using the growing tension to give him greater leverage over power elites at home to nominate his own successor.
It has raised alarm in the region over how far iron ruler Kim, 67 and thought to have suffered a stroke last year, may be prepared to take his latest military grandstanding.
North Korea has asked the country's main bodies and its overseas missions to pledge loyalty to Kim's youngest son Kim Jong-un, various South Korean media outlets quoted informed sources as saying.
"I was notified by the South Korean government of such moves and the loyalty pledges," Park Jie Won, a member of the opposition Democratic Party, said in a statement. He declined to name his source but Yonhap said Park was among a group of lawmakers briefed on Monday night by the country's spy agency about the succession plans.
Kim Jong-un, born either in 1983 or early 1984, was educated in Switzerland and intelligence sources have said he appears to be the most capable of Kim's three known sons.
Even by North Korea's opaque standards, very little is known about the son, whose youth is a potential problem in a society that adheres closely to the importance of seniority.
"There is a significant link between North Korea's recent military provocations and succession issues," said Lee Dong Bok, an expert on the North's negotiating tactics.
North Korea, which has hundreds of mid-range missiles that can hit all of South Korea and most of Japan, is readying at least three or four missiles for firing, Yonhap quoted the lawmaker as saying.
A look at key family members of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il:- Kim Jong -un, 26: Youngest son. Studied at International School of Berne in Switzerland. Reportedly a fan of NBA basketball and enjoys skiing. The elder Kim's former chef says he looks and acts just like his father. Son of dancer Ko Yong Hi, who reportedly died of cancer in 2004.
- Kim Jong-nam, 38: Eldest son of actress Sung Hae Rim, who died in Moscow in 2002. Had been favourite to succeed father but reportedly fell out of favour after using forged passport to enter Japan to visit Tokyo's Disney resort. Reportedly enjoys gambling and lived in Macau, the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.
- Kim Jong-chol, 28: Second son, reportedly never his father's favourite and described as "girlish" by Kim Jong Il's former chef.
- Jang Song-thaek, 63: Brother-in-law and member of the powerful National Defence Commission. Married to Kim Jong Il's sister and is said to be poised to play a kingmaker role or lead a collective leadership after Kim's death until the new leader takes over.
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