(EDITORIAL from the JoongAng Daily on June 3)

Kim???s farcical succession

It appears that North Korea???s leader Kim Jong-il is poised to hand over the
reins of power to his twenty-something son.

According to intelligence reports, the elder Kim has proclaimed the youngest of
his three sons, Jong-un, to be the successor to the family dynasty and has been
calling for ceremonious declarations of loyalty to the heir-in-waiting.
Some analysts believe the North???s recent saber-rattling - testing a nuclear
device and firing off short-range missiles - has been a showpiece for Jong-un???s
succession campaign.
If true, North Korea will inevitably become an international laughingstock.
Nowhere else in the world in modern history have we witnessed the farce of
hereditary power succession.
The possible power transfer only confirms that the North Korean regime has
relinquished any hope of becoming a modern civilized state.
North Koreans have no real rights since all the power is locked up within the Kim
family dynasty.
We saw this first when Kim Il Sung named his son Jong-il as his successor. And
now Jong-il has named his son.
North Koreans have long been accustomed and perfectly happy to call themselves
???the people of Kim Il Sung??? and beneficiaries of ???Kim Il Sung Socialism.???
They have been manipulated, exploited and starved for more than half a decade,
all in a bid to sustain the Kim legacy.
Extending the North Korean family dynasty has only one impact on North Koreans.
They will suffer more hardship and continue to be chained until the Kim family
dynasty falls.
The obsession with nuclear arms, missiles and other weapons of mass destruction
is part of a malignant campaign to keep the Kim family in control.
Our North Korean policy will have to take a completely new direction if the
hereditary succession is confirmed.
We can no longer consider North Korean leadership as a partner in seeking common
prosperity and unification of the Korean Peninsula. Our engagement should be
restricted to the North Korean people. We must offer them relief and comfort.
An engagement policy should strictly focus on aid and encouraging North Korean
people to bring light and change to the reclusive state.
We sincerely hope North Korea isn???t serious about the power succession.
(END)