N. Korea: Election holds clues to Kim's next move(if his son gets elected)

FT ^ | 02/21/09 | Christian Oliver

[TigerLikesRooster]

Election holds clues to Kim's next move

By Christian Oliver

Published: February 21 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 21 2009 02:00

North Korean elections are never nail-biters. On the face of it, the March 8 contest will rubber-stamp the reappointment of the Supreme People's Assembly, the reclusive state's highest body, with every member including Kim Jong-il, the country's ruler, likely to garner 100 per cent support.

But on this occasion the appointment of the assembly will offer rare clues about where Kim's dictatorship is headed even as military tensions simmer on the Korean peninsula and rumours swirl about the anointment of a successor.

The decision to hold the poll now, after being postponed from the autumn, when Mr Kim is suspected to have suffered a stroke, is a strong sign that he feels fit enough to assert his authority and present himself as a healthy partner in nuclear negotiations with Barack Obama. But if one of Mr Kim's sons takes a seat in this election, it will be a clear sign that he is being groomed as heir apparent.

Intelligence sources have variously named Mr Kim's eldest son, Kim Jong-nam, and his third and youngest son, Kim Jong-woon, as the successor. Kim Jong-nam has, however, said that he is not interested in the succession.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Yes, chances are high that he will make some decision on his successor, and chances for his youngest son are high. If Jong-woon does not become a representative or is not given enough profile during and after the election, that would be a surprise.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[txnativegop]

elections in N. Korea? did jimmy carter show up again?

[Jet Jaguar]

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