 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
North Korea edges toward a power struggle
Seoul (UPI) Jul 15, 2009 North Korea's No. 2 man might seize power after the expected death of Kim Jong Il, who is believed to have pancreatic cancer, Korean intelligence sources said. Jang Song Taek, 63, head of the National Defense Commission, could be on a collision course with the ailing leader's anointed successor, his 26-year-old son. South Korean television station YTN has been reporting that the North Korean leader has the nearly-incurable disease, citing information from South Korean and Chinese intelligence services. Kim Jong Il has rarely been seen in public since last August, raising speculation about his health. During an appearance marking the 15th anniversary of his father Kim Il Sung's death on July 8 the 68-year-old dictator looked gaunt, according to the South Korean English-language daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo. The North Korean government has also been trying to import medical equipment through intermediaries in China, the newspaper said. Kim is said to have appointed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as head of the ruling Korean Workers' Party. South Korea's National Intelligence Service believes Kim Jong Un will officially be declared leader only in 2012. But pancreatic cancer sufferers rarely survive more than one year, with very few living for five years. Kim senior's eventual death has raised fears of an unstable political situation in a country that claims to possess nuclear weapons. North Korea's latest nuclear test was in May and caused a 4.7 seismic event, observers have said. The Intelligence Service told a session of South Korea's National Assembly that Jang Song Taek will probably not be content taking orders from Kim's young son and attempt to grab power, Chosun Ilbo noted. Jang Song Taek, who is also Kim's brother-in-law, is said to back Jong Nam, 38, Kim's eldest son who has been passed over as future leader. Jang Song Taek studied in Moscow between 1969 and 1972 and steadily rose up government ranks to be vice director of the Workers' Party of Korea. Despite being purged from the job in late 2004, he re-emerged to accompany Kim Jong Il on a trip to China in 2006. He was elected head of the National Defense Commission, the de facto ruling body within the military regime, in April. Jang's only daughter, Jang Keum Song, committed suicide while studying in Paris in September 2006. She had apparently refused to end a relationship opposed by her parents and disobeyed their orders to return to the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, has held senior positions within the Ministry of Public Security and reportedly been in charge of developing North Korea's computing industry with Chinese help. He was arrested at Tokyo's Narita International Airport in May 2001 while travelling on a false Dominican Republic passport and accompanied by two women and a 4-year-old boy. While being held for several days he told police he was in Japan visiting Tokyo Disneyland. The Japanese government eventually deported him to China, causing embarrassment to the North Korean government. In contrast to the elder Jong Nam, the young son Kim Jong Un has limited political experience. He reportedly attended the English-language International School of Bern in Switzerland under a false name in 1998, and few photographs of him exist. In the event of Kim Jong Il's death, there could be a period of a regency-type rule with family or political friends taking decisions until Jong Un has enough experience, according to some analysts. Even if Jang Song Taek were to take power, it might be only for a limited time to establish the older brother as head of the regime and so continue the family dynasty along a different line.
earlier related report The move effectively ends the parliamentary session two weeks early, sinking legislation that would authorise the coastguard to search North Korean ships suspected of carrying weapons banned under a United Nations resolution. The boycott in both chambers comes after the opposition passed a censure motion against Aso on Tuesday in the upper house, which it controls, ahead of an August 30 general election that his party appears likely to lose. The government criticised the opposition for refusing to pass the inspections bill, which is in line with a UN Security Council resolution passed last month in response to North Korea's recent nuclear and missile tests. "This is an important bill which we are working on amid international cooperation," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, the top government spokesman, told reporters. "If they avoid a big issue like this, can we say they have the ability to manage a government?" The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has ratcheted up the pressure on Aso in the wake of its crushing victory Sunday in a key local election seen as a bellwether of the national vote. Aso survived a no-confidence vote Tuesday in the lower house, which is controlled by his ruling coalition, and has defied calls from some lawmakers within his own party to stand down ahead of the August election. "It is becoming impossible for them (the LDP) to replace Mr Aso with a new face to fight the election," DPJ secretary general Katsuya Okada said Wednesday. Many observers believe the opposition would prefer Aso to stay on as leader because his unpopularity will boost its chances of winning the vote. Aso's popularity has sunk since he took office a year ago, hit by a series of gaffes, policy flip-flops and discontent with his handling of the economy. Japan, along with the United States, pushed hard for tough sanctions after the North's April 5 long-range rocket launch and after its second underground atomic test on May 25, which was followed by a series of missile launches. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Any NKorean attack would be sudden but futile: US generalSeoul (AFP) July 14, 2009 A senior US military officer said Tuesday that any North Korean attack on South Korea would be sudden and "extremely destructive", but would ultimately fail. Major General Johnny A. Weida, outgoing deputy chief of staff for the US Forces Korea, also said such an attack is highly unlikely because it would spell the end of Kim Jong-Il's regime. More than two-thirds of the North's forces ar ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook