ID :
208538
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 11:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/208538
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N. Korean heir-apparent wields command over defense, security issues: source
SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- Kim Jong-un, the third son and heir apparent of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, has started to wield command over the country's defense and security issues, one year after receiving top military and political posts, a source familiar with the communist regime said Wednesday.
The younger Kim, believed to be in his late 20s, was named a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the North's ruling Workers' Party and a four-star general in September last year, paving the way for his rise to the top.
"Kim Jong-un, under the protection of his father, has effectively been commanding the military by carrying out reforms and handing down operational directions through Ri Yong-ho, chief of the general staff of the (North) Korean People's Army (KPA) and Kim Jong-gak, first vice-director of the KPA's General Political Bureau," the source said, requesting anonymity.
The source also said the heir apparent is building a solid support base within the military by filling commander-level posts with his loyalists, who are in their 30s or 40s. As part of the hereditary succession process, the younger Kim is now deeply involved in the internal affairs of the National Security Agency and purging ranking party officials he deems corrupt, the source added.
There are other areas, however, in which the son apparently does not get involved.
"Kim Jong-un is keeping his distance from economic or foreign affairs, apparently due to the potential burdens of an (economic) policy failure and the possible relative decline of his father's status," the source said.
The younger Kim was not spotted on any of his father's trips to China and Russia over the past year.
This week, the Seoul government also reported a series of similar observations. At an annual parliamentary audit, the defense ministry said the younger Kim has been actively participating in the regime's politics and policymaking process to facilitate the alleged power transfer.
Meanwhile, the South's Unification Ministry forecast that in the future, the heir apparent is likely to assume such posts as a member or standing member of the ruling party's politburo, a secretary of the party's secretariat and a member of the powerful National Defense Commission, chaired by his father.
The younger Kim, believed to be in his late 20s, was named a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the North's ruling Workers' Party and a four-star general in September last year, paving the way for his rise to the top.
"Kim Jong-un, under the protection of his father, has effectively been commanding the military by carrying out reforms and handing down operational directions through Ri Yong-ho, chief of the general staff of the (North) Korean People's Army (KPA) and Kim Jong-gak, first vice-director of the KPA's General Political Bureau," the source said, requesting anonymity.
The source also said the heir apparent is building a solid support base within the military by filling commander-level posts with his loyalists, who are in their 30s or 40s. As part of the hereditary succession process, the younger Kim is now deeply involved in the internal affairs of the National Security Agency and purging ranking party officials he deems corrupt, the source added.
There are other areas, however, in which the son apparently does not get involved.
"Kim Jong-un is keeping his distance from economic or foreign affairs, apparently due to the potential burdens of an (economic) policy failure and the possible relative decline of his father's status," the source said.
The younger Kim was not spotted on any of his father's trips to China and Russia over the past year.
This week, the Seoul government also reported a series of similar observations. At an annual parliamentary audit, the defense ministry said the younger Kim has been actively participating in the regime's politics and policymaking process to facilitate the alleged power transfer.
Meanwhile, the South's Unification Ministry forecast that in the future, the heir apparent is likely to assume such posts as a member or standing member of the ruling party's politburo, a secretary of the party's secretariat and a member of the powerful National Defense Commission, chaired by his father.
