SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il promoted Kim Jong Un to the rank of general in the Korean People’s Army, the state news agency reported, the clearest signal yet that the younger Kim is on track to succeed his father in ruling the impoverished country.
Kim Jong Il issued an order handing six people - including son Kim Jong Un - the rank of general, the Korean Central News Agency reported in a dispatch published early today, though dated Monday. Also promoted was Kim Kyong Hui, which is the name of Kim Jong Il’s sister. Her name was listed ahead of Kim Jong Un’s in the report.
The Korean-language report gave only the names of those promoted and did not offer any personal descriptions. However, it appeared highly likely that the people named are Kim’s son and sister given their names and the timing of the promotions hours ahead of the start of the country’s biggest political meeting in three decades and amid intense speculation they could also be given key posts at the gathering.
If confirmed, it would mark the first time that Kim Jong Un’s name has appeared in official media.
It is widely believed that the ruling Workers’ Party meeting, which was set to take place later today, may pave the way for Kim Jong Un to become his father’s successor. Some experts also said that Kim Kyong Hui might also get a prominent party job to oversee a transfer in case the leader dies before the son is ready to take over.
The question of who will take over from Kim Jong Il, who rules with absolute authority but is believed to suffer from a host of ailments, is important to regional security because of North Korea’s active nuclear and missile programs, and regular threats it makes against rival South Korea.
Many delegates to the party meeting arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday by train and the city was festooned with flags and placards announcing the event, footage shot by video news service APTN showed. “Warm congratulations to the representatives meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea!” read one poster.
Kim Jong Il took control of North Korea when his father, the North’s founder Kim Il Sung, died of heart failure in 1994. He has reportedly groomed third son Kim Jong Un as his heir to power.
A South Korean newspaper reported Monday that the younger Kim was chosen as a military delegate to the conference. The party central committee then put out internal propaganda proclaiming him to be Kim Jong Il’s sole successor, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, citing a source in North Korea that it did not identify.
Still, some experts speculated that Kim’s son may not be ready to officially debut as a successor, which could make the 68-year-old leader promote his sister to a prominent position to help Kim Jong Un eventually run the North.
Kim Kyong Hui, who is married to Russian-educated Jang Song Thaek, vice chairman of the all-powerful National Defense Commission, has emerged as one of Kim’s key aides in recent years, experts said.
Information for this article was contributed by Kwang-tae Kim and Sangwon Yoon of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 09/28/2010