A prominent professor has lent his weight to the view that the Chosun Workers’ Party Delegates’ Conference is designed to place hand-picked backers of Kim Jong Eun in prominent positions in the Party, but that it is unlikely that Kim Jong Eun will emerge from the shadows at the event.
In a seminar, “North Korea’s Recent Changes and Predictions for the Third Generation Succession System,” held by the Institute for National Security Strategy today, Professor of North Korean Studies Yoo Ho Yul of Korea University asserted, “The core organs of the Party such as the Politburo, Secretariat, and Central Military Commission will be reshuffled with personnel who can support the Kim Jong Eun succession structure.”
“First of all, Jang Sung Taek is going to become a member of the Politburo, leading the supporting group. In addition to that, with Oh Keuk Ryul being appointed to the Central Military Commission, the two sides (Party and Chosun People’s Army) will establish a structure of balance and control.”
He added, “In a case where Kim Jong Eun joins the Secretariat, I presume he will take the position of secretary responsible for guidance. Baek She Bong and Ju Kyu Chang, members of the Military Defense Committee, may also be included in the Secretariat.”
At the same event, Lee Gi Dong of the Institute for National Security Strategy explained three possible phases of Kim Jong Eun’s succession process. According to him, in the first phase Kim Jong Eun is appointed to the Central Committee of the Party at the Delegates’ Conference; in the next, he takes a still more significant position through a meeting of the Central Committee; and lastly, at a 7th Party Congress in 2012, the succession system is publicized alongside the announcement of the establishment of the “strong and prosperous state.”
Lee additionally foresaw, “He will presumably not appear publicly at this conference,” adding, “It is too early to publicize his existence because his revolutionary achievements are insufficient.”
“Until the Party Congress in 2012, maintaining the mystery will be useful to lessen the political burden and maximize the effectiveness of publicity,” he concluded.
