N. Korea: "Kim Jong-il Designated Jung-woon, his 3rd Son, as his Successor" - a Source

Yonhap News ^ | 01/15/09 | Choi Sun-young, Chang Yong-hoon

[TigerLikesRooster]

/begin my excerpts

"Kim Jong-il Designated Jung-woon, his 3rd Son, as his Successor" : a Source

"Issued a directive to the party early this month".... 3rd generation hereditary rule unprecedented in modern history

(Seoul=Yonhape News) Choi Sun-young, Chang Yong-hoon = N. Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly designated his 3rd son Kim Jung-woon(born in 1984) as his successor and issued a 'directive' containing this decision to Personnel Department of the ruling party early this month.

An intelligence source said on Jan. 15, "We have learned that, around Jan. 8, Kim Jong-il sent party's Personnel Department a directive in which he designated his third son Jung-woon, born from his now-deceased third wife Ko Yong-hee, as his successor."

Lee Je-gang, First Vice Director of Personnel Department, announced it in a hastily arranged meeting of the mid-level or higher department officials, and sending instructions to each local party organization regarding the succession decision. The news are spreading fast through senior officials, according to the source.

/end my excerpts

[TigerLikesRooster]

This is confusing. For a few months, news has been that Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law is in charge now. Then comes the story of Kim Jong-nam as a successor with the brother-in-law's help. Now in less than a couple of days, another story comes out, saying that the third son is the real one.

It looks as though each faction were running its political PR campaign to get ahead. In the background, there is another news which says that Kim Jong-il put a gag order on succession issue.

Perhaps, Kim Jong-il is turning into a lame-duck, and succession intrigue is starting whether he likes it or not.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Jay Howard Smith]

This guy is only 25 years old ..?

[tanuki]

Too bad all of this is hidden from us. There is probably a great drama going on that we will know nothing about until years after it happens. Then again, we’re on the side of the border that has electric light.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Right. He is said to be Chia Head's favorite but is too young. Kim Jong-nam is old enough, but apparently does not inspire Chia Head's confidence.

[Jay Howard Smith]

It do get dark up there .. !

[tanuki]

That picture always makes me shake my head.

[GeronL]

Its a liberals utopia, its what they want for all of us

[AmericanInTokyo]

Wonderful. Just WONDERFUL!!...a freaking 25 YEAR OLD KID ON THE VERGE OF BEING THE LEADER OF A NUCLEAR WEAPON POWER, Rogue state at that, with millions of men under arms, ready for a massive invasion.

(Now someone tell me Jesus is not planning to come back soon.)

[AmericanInTokyo]

Just as long as no “Kimbots” show up on this FR thread, in his final lame duck days, cult-ically singing his high praises. :-)

[Joya]

GeraonL, you say it’s a liberal utopia, what they want for all of us. Scary. Coming soon to a town near you.

(The son was born in 1984??? That’s YOUNG.)

[AmericanInTokyo]

Here is some good footage of "fat boy", particularly from 40 seconds onward in the tape..i.e. the one who apparantly is not in favor these days, Kim Jong Nam.

http://www.ytn.co.kr/_comm/pop_mov.php?s_mcd=0104&s_hcd=&key=200901150230438354

[AmericanInTokyo]

footage

[TigerLikesRooster]

Wow, he looks “tough” with those beards on.:-)

[TigerLikesRooster]

On the other hand, 25-year-old kid is just about right for Obama’s counterpart. Hey, they play one-on-one basketball games in Pyongyang.:-)

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

What is the likelyhood of the DPRK breaking into ‘fiefdoms’ each controlled by a fragment of the government/military?

Seems that would be the only way for a stable (no large scale civil war) transition of power.

[TigerLikesRooster]

That is one of the likely scenario, I suspect.
Instead of power struggle being resolved to produce a clear winner, it could lead to a stand-off in which factions digging in, controlling a part of NK territory, and each faction is allied with a different foreign power.

[Larry Lucido]

Look at those South Koreans, nsensitively belching out all those greenhouse gasses.

[Quix]

Hmmmmm . . .

Remember the cultural revolution in China . . . everything old was automatically evil.

The time is looming closer when anything older than the sanitized family destroying ‘modern’ [all the way back to Soddom and Gomorrah]—anything and anyone involved with home schooling, private Christian schooling etc. will be considered evil and an enemy of the state.

[AmericanInTokyo]

somehow i dont like the direction this all is taking ....!!! ;-(