Kim Jong Il is one of the 687 delegates to the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly announced today.
Kim was elected as delegate for the 333rd election district, getting 100% of the vote, according to a report from Chosun Central Broadcast released on the 8th.
According to the list of elected delegates released by the North Korean Central Election Committee on Monday, most incumbent high officials kept their SPA positions, but Kim Jong Il’s sons did not appear on it.
From Kim Jong Il’s family, Honorary Vice-Director of the SPA and Kim’s youngest brother Kim Young Ju, younger sister Kyung Hee and her husband Jang Sung Taek were selected.
Vice-director of the United Front Department Choi Seung Choel, who was in charge of the Inter-Korean Summit in 2007, was not on the list.
Yang Hyung Sup, Vice-Chairman of the Supreme People’s Committee, became a delegate for the tenth consecutive term, Vice-director of the National Defense Commission Oh Keuk Ryul for the ninth consecutive term and Kim Young Nam, Supreme People’s Committee’s Permanent Chairman, is back in for the eighth time.
Newly-elected members are Policy Manager of the North Korean National Defense Commission Kim Young Cheol, who conducted inspections of the Kaesong Industrial Complex last year, President of the Chosun Trade Bank Oh Kwang Cheol, who took part in working meetings with the U.S. with respect to the Banco Delta Asia issue, Ambassador to the U.N. Shin Sun Ho, former Minister of Culture Choi Ik Gyu, and Vice-director of the Media Subcommittee of the North’s Committee for the June 15 South-North Declaration Cho Choong Han.
Present figures in charge of security affairs were reappointed in this round of the SPA, including Director of the Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces Kim Young Choon, Chief of the General Staff Ri Young Ho, Chief-Secretary of North Hwanghae Province Choi Ryong Hae, Director of the People’s Safety Agency Ju Sang Sung, Vice-director of the National Security Agency Woo Dong Cheuk, and Director of the Political Division of the PSA Ji Young Chun.
In the field of South Korean affairs, Director of the United Front Department Kim Yang Gun, Cabinet Secretary Kim Ryung Sung, Secretary General of the DPRK’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland Ahn Kyung Ho and Vice-director of the United Front Department Lee Chong Hyuk keep their positions as delegates.
North Korea should convene the first meeting of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly next month, whereupon it will reappoint Kim Jong Il as National Defense Chairman, deliberate on the annual budget and reorganize the regime institutions with the aim of constructing a “strong and prosperous” state by 2012, as demanded by the New Years Statement of January, 2009.
