North Korean leader Kim Jong-il turns 70 on Feb. 16. Born in 1941, he was given the official birth year of 1942 when nation founder Kim Il-sung established him as his heir to create a neat 30-year age difference between father and son.
The sad absurdity of totalitarianism. | A South Korean intelligence officer said it was an attempt to set a 10-year plan timeframe for a smooth transition of power and apparently also to establish Kim Jong-il as the "next generation" of the leadership. A generation is said to last roughly 30 years.
Now the regime is touting 2012, the centennial of Kim Il-sung's birth and his son's official 70th birthday, as the year when the North becomes "a prosperous and powerful nation."
South Korean government officials say the round birthday brings home how uncertain Kim's future is, especially given his poor health. He underwent heart surgery in May 2007 and collapsed with a stroke in August 2008, and some intelligence reports say he is on kidney dialysis due primarily to diabetes.
His mind is also apparently going. A North Korean source quoted a rumor that Kim stunned close aides last year when he told a confusing story that he met Kim Il-sung but did not know whether this was a dream or reality. |