Kim Jong Il makes son General

SEOUL: North Korea's Kim Jong Il made his youngest son a four-star General in a major promotion seen on Tuesday as confirmation that he is slated to become the next leader.

The announcement was published in state media hours before a historic Workers' Party meeting on Tuesday where Mr. Kim (68) and apparently in deteriorating health, was expected to grant son Kim Jong Un and other family members top posts in plans to take the Communist dynasty into a third generation.

The North Korean capital was in a festive mood, with banners and placards celebrating the country's biggest political gathering in 30 years. Mr. Kim was re-elected to the party's top position of general secretary, but state media gave no further details on what was discussed or decided.

Footage shot by broadcaster APTN later on Tuesday showed buses carrying party delegates leaving Pyongyang, a sign the gathering may have ended.

The succession is of regional significance because of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes and continuing tensions between North Korea and rival South Korea where the U.S. retains a major military presence. It was the North Korean state media's first mention of Mr. Kim Jong Un, who has remained so well hidden from the outside world that not even his face or exact age can be confirmed. He is believed to be 27 or 28, and is said to have been schooled in Switzerland and educated at Kim Il Sung Military University in Pyongyang.

The appointment also appears aimed at putting the son at the helm of his father's “songun”, or military-first, policy. He is expected to take up other top military jobs such as commander of the 1.2 million-member military, said analyst Cheong Seong-chang of the private Sejong Institute think tank. Mr. Kim Jong Il was 31 when he won the No. 2 post in the ruling Workers' Party in 1973, an appointment seen as a key step in the path to succeeding his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung. He took over as leader in 1994 when his father died of heart failure in what was Communism's first hereditary succession.

Mr. Kim has two other sons but the youngest is said to be his favourite. However, with Mr. Kim Jong Un still in his 20s and politically inexperienced, Mr. Kim may tap his sister to oversee an eventually transfer of power, say experts.

The sister, Kim Kyong Hui (64), was among six people promoted to General along with Kim Jong Un, and her name was listed ahead of Mr. Kim Jong Un's in the Korean Central News Agency report. — AP