Second dynastic succession of Kim: All in the Family
Tokyo (AsiaNews) - According to Japanese newspaper Asahi, what is taking place in recent days in North Korea, will have a profound influence on peace and security in Japan and in North Asia.
On 27 September, leader Kim Jong Il conferred the title of four-star general on six people including his third son, Kim Jong-un (27 years) and his sister Kim Kyong Hui (64). The next day, during the Workers' Party [Communist Party]convention of the, meeting for the first time in 44 years, he appointed Kim Jong-un member of the Party Central Committee and Central Military Commission as well as vice-president for national defence, which is the most authoritative body in North Korea.
The general election of a young man and a woman with no military experience, is an anomaly in the bizarre world, but not in the nation. It appears the realization of a very precise plan: the dynastic succession of power of government, the Confucian model of the family (a very similar thing happens in China, with the children of Party leaders, the so-called "little princes").
Kim Il Sung, the founder
With this appointment, Kim Jong-Il (68) has simpley done for his son, Jong-un, what his farther in turn did for him. In 1970 Kim Il Sung appointed Jong-Il vice president of the North Korean Communist Party, indicating him as his successor in the government of the country. And in fact he become the leader 24 years later, at his father's death in (1994).
Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), charismatic and ruthless, planned the maintenance of power within his family, when, in 1948, he became the leader of the northern part of the Korean peninsula. He managed to create such a personality cult that the North Koreans, even long after his death, call him the "Great Leader" and in the establishment he is referred to as the "eternal president."
And because for the North Koreans the figure of president is one and only - "eternal" - the official title of the son who succeeded him, is "general secretary of the Communist Party and chairman of the Central Commission of National Defence”. At a popular level is termed "Dear Leader".
Little time left for Kim Jong Il
Kim-father took his time in preparing for the succession of his son Jong Il. 24 years elapsed between his appointment as heir and his coming into power.
For Kim Jong-un the approach to the succession has been quite different. His name appeared for the first time in North Korean media on Sept. 27 when his father appointed him general, but since then he has never appeared in public, a part from some rare photo-images. But he will take centre stage in the military parade scheduled for October 10th, on the 65th anniversary of the Workers' Party.
For Kim Jong-Il, the decision to hasten the succession to the leadership, at least implicitly, with two appointments for Jong-Un is mainly due to health reasons: a severe heart attack in August 2008 left him with serious consequences. Also in 2012 there will be rotations at an international level that will affect foreign policy on North Korea. That is: the rise of new presidents in the United States, Russia and South Korea, along with the change of president and secretary of the Communist Party in China.
Probably the general meeting of the Communist Party was to take place in 2012, the centenary of the birth of the "great leader" but it has been anticipated, betraying a sense of urgency.
Because of the age and precarious health of the "Dear Leader", Jong-Un is unlikely to have enough time to prepare for the succession. To overcome this difficulty his father has placed two people well versed in government policy closely beside him: the aforementioned Kim Kyong Hui (64), his aunt and her husband, Jang Song Thaek (46), appointed vice chairman of the central committee to national defence. Given the family ties of both and their long history of political cooperation with Kim Jong Il, the dynastic succession of power seems to be sufficiently solid.
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