The youngest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il became a parliament member last year, another sign he is being groomed to succeed his father, South Korean news reports said yesterday.
It is widely believed that the 68-year-old Kim plans to hand power at some point to third son Kim Jong-un, though little is known about him. Speculation about the North’s succession plans has intensified since the senior Kim reportedly had a stroke in 2008.
He has led North Korea since 1994 upon his father’s death.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Kim Jong-un reportedly ran for a parliamentary seat in elections in March last year that were closely watched for any signs of a power shift in the North. His name, however, was not on the list of Supreme People’s Assembly legislators, sparking speculation he may not have run in the polls or used an alias.
The mass-circulation Dong-a Ilbo yesterday quoted a high-level Western source knowledgeable about the North as saying that Kim Jong-un was elected in the rubber-stamp legislature’s Constituency No. 216. The source, who was not otherwise identified, said he obtained the information from unidentified North Korean figures about two months after the vote, the newspaper said.
Another national daily — the JoongAng Ilbo — carried a similar report, saying the comments would confirm that Kim Jong-un has formally entered government service after being tapped as the North’s next leader.
The paper also said the Constituency No. 216 has a special meaning as Kim Jong-il’s birthday falls on Feb. 16.
It said the Western source spoke during a meeting on Monday with journalists in Seoul.
Dong-a Ilbo’s source said the North appeared to have deliberately hid the son’s election.
The list of North Korea’s 687 parliamentary members that state media released after the elections included the name of Kim Jong, but it was not officially confirmed whether the person is the son using an alias, the paper said.
However, a spokesman at the South’s main spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, said the agency believes there is a low probability that Kim Jong-un became a member of parliament. He declined to elaborate on the agency’s opinion. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing agency policy.
Other newspapers as well as Yonhap news agency and YTN television carried similar reports. They highlight the intense interest in South Korea in the succession.
Not much information is available about Kim Jong-un, including his exact age, though experts say he is in his mid-20s.
National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon told legislators last week that the North had launched a propaganda campaign aimed at making its 24 million people adore Kim Jong-un, such as releasing songs and poems praising him, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.
On Saturday, North Korea said it would hold a rare Workers’ Party conference in September to choose new top leaders, a move experts say may be aimed at giving Kim Jong-un a top party job.
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