North Korea promotes Kim relative in reshuffle

SEOUL, South Korea (AP):

The brother-in-law of Kim Jong Il was promoted to the No. 2 spot in the secretive nation's leadership, a position that could allow him to become the next ruler or a kingmaker who will decide which of Kim's sons succeeds his father.

The announcement was made after a rare parliamentary session reportedly attended by the reclusive Kim, who is believed to have suffered a stroke two years ago. It was difficult to assess the 68-year-old leader's health because Pyongyang's state-run television only showed a long shot of him, sitting behind a desk in the middle of a long line of parliamentarians.

The rubber-stamp parliament, or the Supreme People's Assembly, usually meets once each year to approve bills vetted by the ruling Workers' Party. The body met in April and no reason was given for holding Monday's unusual second session.

The session came amid worsening economic woes, pressing succession issues and a South Korean campaign to get the United Nations to punish Pyongyang for a ship attack in March that killed 46 sailors. North Korea denies sinking the ship, and state-run media did not say whether parliament discussed the issue.

Lining up a successor to Kim has long been one of North Korea's most pressing issues and it continues to fuel speculation about the mysterious nuclear-armed nation. Analysts said a reshuffle was full of significant signs that the regime was making serious preparations for change.

The most important promotion involved Kim's brother-in-law, Jang Song Thaek, who already had immense power as the head of intelligence and the political overlord of the prosecutor's office, the police and the courts.

Jang was promoted to vice-chairman of the all-powerful National Defense Commission, which makes security policy, and now sits in the No. 2 position, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the Seoul-based University of North Korean Studies.

Stable structure

"With this post, he has been given all responsibility and rights to secure a stable structure for future succession," Yang said.

Jang, married to Kim's younger sister, is widely believed to be a key backer of the North Korean leader's third son, Jong Un, who several analysts think will be his father's eventual successor. Many believe Jang may lead a collective leadership after Kim's death and help groom one of the sons for the top job.

"When it comes to Kim Jong Un's succession, it was known that Jang would serve as the guardian," said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.