The Arduous Making of North Korea Kim Jong Un System!

Kim Jong-Un, front row, second from left,

framed between 2 top army leaders

in Rodong Shimbun

When a severe regime enters into a period of uncertainty. A wake up call for neighbors always alarmed by North Korean dictatorship.

It was the talk of the world and an intriguing situation to report. Finally an official picture of the heir of the North Korean Dynasty is released today by the regime propaganda! When I called one of my sources on North Korea, 2 things appeared to be most pressing today, 1, we have a picture of him, but it is Xinhua press agency who had it first. We had to wait a couple of hours on this afternoon of September 30th to have it sent on the Internet. The second news is that if Kim Jong Un is said to be the successor of Kim Jong Il, why Jong Un's name is not mentioned in the country highest organ, the most powerful National Defense Commission of the North Korean regime?

Jong Un is just a leader in waiting, while a third generation of successors is announced such as Lee Young Ho, Chosun People’s Army (North Korea Army) Chief of Staff. No NDC list names was published by the KCNA (North Korea official press agency) therefore no explanations or reasons why Kim Jong Un is not yet part of the most powerful organ of North Korea. The National Defense Commission is made of 12 members and is de facto the North Korea's top organ of power, presided by Kim Jong Il.

"The army keeps on controlling the power and KJI certainly has to wait for the old guard to retire and this is what they do not want in a limited time" according to informed sources.

Kim Jong Un, front center, at the Chosun Workers’ Party Conference

Korean Central Television

In fact, the National Defense Commission of North Korea (NDC) is defined by the 1998 constitution as "the highest guiding organ of the military and the managing organ of military matters." The chairman of the NDC presently Kim Jong Il controls the armed forces and, in this state where the military pre-dominates, is the most powerful position in the country.

Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday that Kim Jong Un, 27, was elected as a Central Committee member at a conference of party delegates held Tuesday in Pyongyang and named a vice chairman of the party's Central Military Commission and NOT member of the National Defense Commission.

Eventually the new posts, together with being named a general in the Korean People's Army on Monday, makes Kim Jong Un able to succeed his 68-year-old father. This is the idea providing the old guard of military leaders will retire. Not that easy.

The old Generals...

If Jong Un carries on, new announcements always are possible prior to October 10th ceremonies of the regime, he would take the continuation of the Kim dynasty into a new generation, as Kim Jong Il took over leadership when his father and the nation's founder Kim Il Sung died in 1994.

Kim Jong Il had appointed his brother-in-law Jang Sung Taek to the all-powerful National Defense Commission. Jang, who is married to Kim's younger sister, is said to play a major role in guarding Kim's succession. As a vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, Jang Sung Taek became a "candidate" of the politburo and a member of the Central Military Commission at the Tuesday September 28th 2010 party conference.

On 09 April 2009 the First Session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK reelected Kim Jong Il to a fourth five-year term (2009 2013) as chairman of the National Defense Commission.

Let's quote here the Chosun Central News Agency (KCNA) which released the results of the Chosun Workers’ Party Delegates’ Conference: While the most prominent move was Kim Jong Un’s becoming Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Party, there were widespread changes in the upper echelons of the Party. The Party regulations were also amended. According to KCNA, “The revised regulations redefine the structure, positions and roles of the Chosun Workers’ Party in a way appropriate to its characteristics as the highest leadership organ concentrated on Comrade Kim Jong Il, with high regard to reflecting having Comrade Kim Il Sung as the eternal Suryeong of the Party and revolution and the immortal achievements of Great Suryeong Comrade Kim Il Sung and Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il.”

Within the revised regulations, KCNA asserted the Party has “modified and added to the work of Party organs to meet the demands of the new era of the Juche revolution,” adding new provisions covering the “Party and the People’s Regime,” the latter known better as the Cabinet, the Party emblem and flag." End of Daily NK and KCNA quotes.

DPRK Party Who's who

Pyongyang, September 28, Chosun Central News Agency (KCNA)

Members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Party are as follows:

Kim Jong Il, Kim Young Nam, Choi Young Rim, Cho Myung Rok, Lee Young Ho, Kim Young Chun, Jeon Byung Ho, Kim Kuk Tae, Kim Ki Nam, Choi Tae Bok, Yang Hyeong Seop, Kang Sok Ju, Byeon Young Rip, Lee Yong Mu, Ju Sang Seong, Hong Seok Hyeong, Kim Kyung Hee

Candidates Members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Party are as follows:

Kim Yang Gun, Kim Young Il, Park Do Chun, Choi Ryong Hae, Jang Sung Taek, Ju Gyu Chang, Lee Tae Nam, Kim Rak Hee, Tae Jong Su, Kim Pyong Hae, Woo Dong Cheuk, Kim Jeong Gak, Park Jung Sun, Kim Chang Seop, Mun Kyeong Deok

Members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Party are as follows:

Kim Jong Il, Kim Young Nam, Choi Young Rim, Cho Myung Rok, Lee Young Ho

Kim Ki Nam, Jang Sung Taek, Kim Young Il, Kim Pyong Hae, Lee Young Su, Ju Gyu Chang, Hong Seok Hyeong, Kim Kyung Hee, Choi Hee Jeong, Oh Il Jeong, Kim Yang Gun, Kim Jeong Im, Chae Hee Jeong, Tae Jong Su have been appointed directors of the Central Committee of the Party

Kim Ki Ryong has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of Rodong Shinmun, the publication of the Central Committee of the Party.

The article later lists the members of the Secretariat;

The following is the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party.

General Secretary of the Chosun Workers’ Party: Kim Jong Il

Secretaries of the Central Committee of the Party: Kim Ki Nam, Choi Tae Bok, Choi Ryong Hae, Mun Kyeong Deok, Park Do Chun, Kim Young Il, Kim Yang Gun, Kim Pyong Hae, Tae Jong Su, Hong Seok Hyeong.”

The article then outlines changes to Party regulations, before moving on to outline personnel changes in the Central Military Commission of the Party.

The Central Military Commission is as follows:

Chairman: Kim Jong Il

Vice Chairman: Kim Jong Eun, Lee Young Ho

Members: Kim Young Chun, Kim Jeong Gak, Kim Myeong Kuk, Kim Kyung Ok, Kim Won Hong, Jeong Myeong Do, Lee Byeong Cheol, Choi Bu Il, Kim Young Cheol, Yun Jeong Rin, Ju Gyu Chang, Choi Sang Ryeo, Choi Kyeong Seong, Woo Dong Cheuk, Choi Ryong Hae, Jang Sung Taek

Regime propaganda

Sources: Kcna, Xinhua, Afp, Bloomberg, Yonhap, Reporter's Notes