N. Korean leader reelected to top post, begins 3rd term at helm

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BEIJING, April 9 Kyodo -
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il was reelected Thursday to head of the national
defense panel, now the government's most powerful post, marking the start of
his third term at the country's helm, according to official media.
The Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's parliament, reappointed Kim
chairman of the National Defense Commission in its inaugural session attended
by the leader, the Korean Central News Agency reported.
Analysts had said earlier that the current assembly session was expected to
emphasize the leader's firm grip on power and return to center stage after what
has been reported as his recovery from a stroke last summer.
In what could be interpreted as a move along that line, North Korea's state-run
television showed the leader participating in the session, walking to his seat
and clapping his hands, according to Tokyo-based Radiopress, which monitors
North Korean media.
The images were shown in the evening, which was unusual for its swiftness.
While North Korean media have reported about the leader's activities in recent
months, it was the first time since his reported sickness that his activity was
broadcast or printed on the same day it took place.
KCNA said the proposal to elect Kim head of the powerful military commission
reflected ''the unanimous will of the whole party and army and all the
people.''
It was ''fully supported and seconded amid the enthusiastic cheers of all those
present,'' it said.
The assembly, which was meeting for the first time since its election in March,
also amended the Constitution and approved Cabinet members as well as the
budget for 2009, according to the KCNA report.
Kim Jong Il was first appointed as chairman of the defense commission in 1993.
The post was elevated to the ''highest office of the state'' in 1998, after the
1994 death of his father Kim Il Sung, the founder of the country.
Kim Jong Il, who is also general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of
Korea, was reelected to the defense commission post in 1998 and again in 2003.
While the session also comes after North Korea's rocket launch on Sunday, the
KCNA report on the assembly did not mention the event.
North Korea has said the rocket launch successfully put a satellite into orbit.
The launch has triggered harsh criticism from countries such as Japan, South
Korea and the United States, which saw it as a cover for a long-range ballistic
missile test.
==Kyodo