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Nork heir apparent working as mid-level party staffer
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- The youngest son and heir apparent of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is believed to be working as a mid-level staffer at the country's Workers' Party, where he is apparently being groomed to assume leadership, a lawmaker said Tuesday. Kim, who reportedly suffered a stroke last year, is said to be preparing to hand over the throne to his third son Jong-un. Information on the son remains scarce as the communist regime exercises tight controls on it. Jong-un, born in 1984, was confirmed to have been given a "deputy director-level" post at an unknown branch inside the party, Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the ruling Grand National Party said, citing an intelligence report he received from the government. Yoon did not disclose the source of the report. The heir apparent was also forecast to be officially tapped as the next leader between 2010 and 2012, most likely through a full-scale party convention. According to the lawmaker, the son is presumed to have received a degree from the Kim Il Sung Military University through private tutoring. Like his father, Jong-un appears not to have served in the military.
Posted by: Steve White 2009-10-06 |
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