ID :
44785
Sun, 02/08/2009 - 20:51
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/44785
The shortlink copeid
(LEAD) N. Korea holds rallies to back Kim Jong-il`s parliamentary nomination: report
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS date of official nomination in para 5, background in para
7; TRIMS)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has held nationwide rallies to second 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 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
support the Feb. 1 nomination of Kim 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 the chairman of
the ruling Workers' Party to be nominated, the report said. The North's polls
boast a near-perfect turnout and 100 percent "yes" votes.
The elections come as North Korea has declared "an all-out confrontational
posture" against South Korea. The ties between two countries frayed over the past
year after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office with a tougher stance
on Pyongyang.
They also 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.
South Korea's state-run Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank,
predicted in December that North Korea will promote young technocrats in the
elections.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
7; TRIMS)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has held nationwide rallies to second 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 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
support the Feb. 1 nomination of Kim 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 the chairman of
the ruling Workers' Party to be nominated, the report said. The North's polls
boast a near-perfect turnout and 100 percent "yes" votes.
The elections come as North Korea has declared "an all-out confrontational
posture" against South Korea. The ties between two countries frayed over the past
year after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office with a tougher stance
on Pyongyang.
They also 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.
South Korea's state-run Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank,
predicted in December that North Korea will promote young technocrats in the
elections.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
