Kim Jong-il Names Youngest Son Successor In North Korea

Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of North Koreas dictator and Dear Leader Kim Jong-il

, is believed to have been named his fathers successor following a rare North Korean Workers Party meeting which convened earlier this week.

The youngest son in the Kim family, Jong-un is thought to be in his late 20s and has spent some time outside of North Korea, studying under an alias at an international school in Berne, Switzerland. Jong-un, named Brilliant Comrade by the Party, was promoted earlier this week to the rank of 4-Star General, as well as to new positions of the Vice Chairman to both the Partys Central Military Commission and Central Committee. Kim Jong-ils two older sons have been deemed unsuitable for the role.

This apparent process of succession has mirrored Kim Jong-ils accession to leadership beginning in 1994 after the death of his father, Kim Il Sung, though this time the pace of promotion seems hasty. It has also fueled much speculation and analysis by academics and foreign relations experts on both the message and impact of the promotions.

Its clearly the biggest news weve had from North Korea since the death of Kim Il Sung, commented Peter Beck, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations at Tokyos Keio University.

Current leader Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke in August of 2008 and has since appeared gaunt and ill, prompting predictions of his imminent death. Although Jong-uns promotion indicates Kim Jong-ils intent to continue the Kim family dynasty, it does not provide definitive insight into how the actual exchange of power will occur.

Relatively little is known about Kim Jong-un even in North Korea, and it is unclear whether or not he has been accepted into the inner folds of the Party and military elite. Other experts on North Korea think that Kim Jong-ils death may spur a number of possible scenarios, such as warring factions within the Party, or even total regime collapse.

The manner in which the DPRK leadership changes hands is a significant issue to regional powers, in particular China, Japan, South Korea and the United States. China has long been wary of the possibility of a DPRK collapse, which might destabilize the region and trigger a massive flood of North Korean refugees over the Chinese-North Korean border. Japan, South Korea and the United States must also consider the possibilities considering North Koreas long history of belligerence and international malfeasance.

by: Dezan Shira & Associates

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