North Korea promotes Kim son to general

[Troy]

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il promoted his youngest son to the rank of general in the Korean People's Army, the state news agency reported early Tuesday, the clearest signal yet that the 20-something is on track to succeed his father in ruling the impoverished country.

Kim issued an order handing six people — including son Kim Jong Un — the rank of general, the Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch. Also promoted was Kim Kyong Hui, the elder Kim's sister. It marks the first time that Kim Jong Un's name has appeared in official media.

The report came hours ahead of the start of the ruling Workers' Party meeting, the country's biggest political meeting in three decades, and amid intense speculation that the duo could be given key posts at the gathering.

The ailing 68-year-old Kim Jong Il took control of North Korea when his father, the North's founder Kim Il Sung, died of heart failure in 1994. He has reportedly groomed third son as his heir, and some experts have also said that Kim Kyong Hui might be tapped to oversee a transfer of power if the leader dies before the son is ready to take over.

Kim Jong Un had always been predicted as the next in line since he was his fathers favourite. He was schooled in Switzerland and at home in North Korea. His age is unknown, but it is predicted to be either 28 or 29 and there are only a handful of confirmed pictures of him outside of North Korea. Very secretive live so far but now that he is a four star general and the next in line for the throne there will surely be more pictures of him that are released to the outside world.

Kim Jong Il doesn't look to have long left to live after seeing some recent pictures of him and reading about his health issues. Therefore this was a needed promotion as they need to have everything in place for when he dies. Plus the North Korean people need to support him and back him as their leader.

When he does take over I do think that he will start to move North Korea to a more civilised living. He will start to allow some enterprise as he will surely realise his people need more as they are living in terrible poverty. It won't be as open a market as Deng Xiaoping created for China but it will be a start in the right direction.