N. Korean Leader's Youngest Son to Acquire Parliamentary Post

BEIJING (Yonhap) - The youngest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has registered as a candidate in the secretive country's upcoming parliamentary elections, informed sources in Beijing said on Feb. 19, it what could be a decisive step towards a power transfer.

After the March 8 vote, North Korea will officially promote Kim Jong-un, who
turned 26 in January, as the successor of leader Kim Jong-il, according to the
sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Kim Jong-un's registration "has been confirmed," one of the sources said, adding
"the process of a power transfer is now fully in the works."
North Korea holds direct elections to choose Supreme People's Assembly officials,
but Workers' Party candidates are all but guaranteed 100 percent voter approval.
Pyongyang typically announces the list of its new lawmakers shortly after the
election.
Cheong Seong-chang, a specialist on North Korean power succession at the
independent Sejong Institute, said Kim Jong-un's registration, if confirmed, will
accelerate the succession process.
Jong-un will likely also be elected as a member in the National Defense
Commission, the backbone of the North's 1.2-million-strong military, which is
chaired by his father, Cheong said.
"A lawmaker's post has no power, but it is symbolically significant in that the
post is given to those who are considered important contributors to the party and
the nation," Cheong said.
"For the North Korean power elite, it's essential to hold a lawmaker's post in
addition to other high positions," he said.
Speculation over a power succession has mounted amid lingering skepticism about
the leader's health. The North's parliament bypassed its election last autumn and
Kim Jong-il did not appear at an important party anniversary in September,
lending credence to reports he suffered a stroke in August.