Seoul skeptical of hereditary power transfer in N. Korea

By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- A senior national security secretary to President Lee Myung-bak said Wednesday that another hereditary transfer of power following North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's retirement or demise is unlikely.

The presidential secretary told reporters on condition of anonymity that Kim's
possible attempt to name one of his three sons as his successor may run into
"systemic" difficulties due to lack of preparation.

The attention-getting remarks came as Seoul's intelligence agency reportedly said
the 66-year-old North Korean leader is recovering from a stroke or similar
condition.

Speculation has been rampant that Kim may attempt to designate his second son,
Jong-chol, as his heir, though there have been no indications that the
27-year-old man is engaged in state affairs.

Kim succeeded his father and North Korean founder Kim Il-sung in 1994, when he
died of heart failure, marking the first hereditary succession of power in a
communist country.

"A father-to-son power transfer is unlikely this time, because the North's
situation is different from that of 1994," said the presidential secretary.

"Kim Jong-il had undergone something of a heirship training for a period of
nearly 20 years. But none of his sons are presently on such a course. Hereditary
succession of power is not that simple, because North Korea's state system
doesn't work like that," he said, declining to elaborate further.

Regarding the North Korean leader's health, meanwhile, the presidential secretary
said that it is still difficult for the South Korean government to accurately
confirm his actual health condition.

"We're continuously checking circumstances in North Korea, but are careful
to confirm anything due to the unique characteristic of inter-Korean relations.
Moreover, there are no unusual moves with regard to the North's military,"
he said.