N. Korea holds rallies for Kim Jong-il`s parliamentary nomination: report

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has held nationwide rallies to support the
nomination of its leader Kim Jong-il for a parliamentary seat, its official media
said Sunday, as the country gears up for rubber-stamp elections precisely a month
away.
Kim, who turns 67 next week, is almost certain to be re-elected in what is
considered to be a military constituency. A newly formed legislature will then
confirm his status as chairman of the National Defense Commission, an independent
organization that controls the isolated state's 1.1-million-strong military.
The elections, set for March 8, were bypassed last year amid rumors that Kim had
suffered a stroke. The speculation, backed by South Korean and U.S. intelligence,
raised outside concern because Kim commands absolute power in the communist state
which detonated its first atomic device in 2006 and has yet to profess a
successor.
Officials in Seoul say Kim has now recovered well enough to rule his country.
"Voters' meetings were held at all the constituencies across the country" to
nominate Kim, chairman of the ruling Workers Party, for the Supreme Peoples'
Assembly, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a report monitored in
Seoul.
"It is the greatest happiness and glory of our country" to allow Kim to run for
the election, the report said. The North's polls boast a near-perfect turnout and
100 percent "yes" votes.
The 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,
predicted in December that North Korea will promote young technocrats in the
elections.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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