ID :
43651
Sun, 02/01/2009 - 22:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/43651
The shortlink copeid
N. Korean leader named for parliamentary elections: report
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was nominated Sunday to
run for a parliamentary seat in next month's elections, the country's media said,
a legally required procedure to become the country's top commander.
Voting for the North's rubber-stamp legislature is scheduled for March 8. The
list of candidates are drawn up by the ruling Workers' Party, with one candidate
nominated for each electorate. The current 687 delegates were picked in 2003, all
with 100 percent "yes" votes.
A new assembly usually confirms Kim's appointment as chairman of the National
Defense Commission, which in turn leads to a reshuffle of the Cabinet and
military, according to South Korean officials.
North Korea bypassed the vote, due to be held before September, amid rumors that
the 66-year-old leader suffered a stroke a month earlier. The upcoming elections
are viewed by outsiders as a sign that the leader has recovered and is in firm
control of the country.
In a report, monitored in Seoul, the North's Korean Central Broadcasting Station
said Kim was appointed to run in the 333th voting district in a meeting attended
by military leaders. The district is believed to be a military constituency,
according to South Korean officials.
"The 12th parliamentary elections are a historic event that will give us an
opportunity to make a turning point in our struggle to put up the doorplate of 'a
powerful and prosperous nation' on our nation," the North's defense minster, Vice
Marshal Kim Il-chol, was quoted by the report as saying during the meeting.
"We will come to show off to the whole world the power of our revolutionary unity
and the superiority of our socialist system as we are firmly united around our
supreme commander," the defense minister said.
The report did not say whether the leader attended the meeting.
Kim Jong-il has no official government title but he rules the country in his
capacity as chairman of the National Defense Commission, an independent
organization that controls the North's 1.1-million-strong armed forces.
The leader represented different military constituencies in previous elections --
666th in 1998 and the 649th in 2003.
Next month's elections come amid Pyongyang's stepped-up drive to resuscitate its
frail economy. North Korea has recently shaken up several key industry-related
Cabinet posts.
In a New Year editorial, North Korea vowed to "solve food problems by our own
efforts" and focus on rebuilding its industrial infrastructure.
A Seoul-based state-run think tank, the Institute for National Security Strategy,
said in a report in December that North Korea is expected to promote young
economic technocrats in the parliamentary elections.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was nominated Sunday to
run for a parliamentary seat in next month's elections, the country's media said,
a legally required procedure to become the country's top commander.
Voting for the North's rubber-stamp legislature is scheduled for March 8. The
list of candidates are drawn up by the ruling Workers' Party, with one candidate
nominated for each electorate. The current 687 delegates were picked in 2003, all
with 100 percent "yes" votes.
A new assembly usually confirms Kim's appointment as chairman of the National
Defense Commission, which in turn leads to a reshuffle of the Cabinet and
military, according to South Korean officials.
North Korea bypassed the vote, due to be held before September, amid rumors that
the 66-year-old leader suffered a stroke a month earlier. The upcoming elections
are viewed by outsiders as a sign that the leader has recovered and is in firm
control of the country.
In a report, monitored in Seoul, the North's Korean Central Broadcasting Station
said Kim was appointed to run in the 333th voting district in a meeting attended
by military leaders. The district is believed to be a military constituency,
according to South Korean officials.
"The 12th parliamentary elections are a historic event that will give us an
opportunity to make a turning point in our struggle to put up the doorplate of 'a
powerful and prosperous nation' on our nation," the North's defense minster, Vice
Marshal Kim Il-chol, was quoted by the report as saying during the meeting.
"We will come to show off to the whole world the power of our revolutionary unity
and the superiority of our socialist system as we are firmly united around our
supreme commander," the defense minister said.
The report did not say whether the leader attended the meeting.
Kim Jong-il has no official government title but he rules the country in his
capacity as chairman of the National Defense Commission, an independent
organization that controls the North's 1.1-million-strong armed forces.
The leader represented different military constituencies in previous elections --
666th in 1998 and the 649th in 2003.
Next month's elections come amid Pyongyang's stepped-up drive to resuscitate its
frail economy. North Korea has recently shaken up several key industry-related
Cabinet posts.
In a New Year editorial, North Korea vowed to "solve food problems by our own
efforts" and focus on rebuilding its industrial infrastructure.
A Seoul-based state-run think tank, the Institute for National Security Strategy,
said in a report in December that North Korea is expected to promote young
economic technocrats in the parliamentary elections.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
