Friday, October 9, 2009
SEOUL (AFP) - – A South Korean minister confirmed Thursday that North Korea has suspended a propaganda campaign to promote the youngest son of leader Kim Jong-Il as his eventual successor.
Instead, the communist state is calling for solidarity around the current leader, Vice Unification Minister Hong Yang-Ho said.
Succession speculation began in earnest after Kim, now 67, suffered a stroke around August 2008. Widespread reports since then said he had chosen his third and youngest son Jong-Un to inherit power.
Beginning late last year, state media stepped up propaganda to justify the expected father-to-son succession but the publicity campaign came to a halt in mid-July, Hong said.
"Since July 15, North Korean media stopped reports in defence of a hereditary succession," Hong told a forum on North Korea policy. A transcript of his remarks was released by the ministry.
"The North instead is putting great emphasis on protecting its traditional ideology (of its military-first policy)," Hong said.
Analysts and welfare group officials told AFP last month that the regime in July had instructed officials not to speak openly about the succession.
Hong did not speculate on why the North suspended its publicity campaign.
Some analysts said Kim Jong-Il had succeeded in winning the regime's support for his plan, and might have been concerned about weakening his own authority in the interim.
Others say Pyongyang is waiting for the right opportunity to announce Jung-Un's nomination as eventual successor.
A South Korean lawmaker said Tuesday that Jong-Un has been given a post in the ruling communist party in preparation for his eventual takeover.
He is expected to be officially named as successor some time between 2010 and 2012, legislator Yoon Sang-Hyun cited a confidential Seoul report as saying.
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