KCNA reports that both leader and son participated in watching the North Korean military drills. Kim Jong-Un has suddenly been quite prominent in North Korean media lately, and it is widely accepted that he is being groomed to succeed his father Jong-Il as the leader of the North Korea dynasty. Kim Jong-Un received key posts that effectively label him 2nd-in-command at a rare Korean Worker’s Party conference last week, while secrecy still shrouds his life prior to these promotions. Events such as this viewing of drills are similar to the father-son behaviour of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, travelling and leading together. Will there be shared leadership in the future while Jong-Il survives?
In related events, the South Korean defense minister reported to parliament that during the US-SK war game exercises in late August, their GPS reception was intermittenly jammed and interfered with by North Korea. The jamming equipment is alleged to be Russian in origin, and can operate on signals within 100km, which may pose a serious concern for South Korea military, who are dependent on guided weapons that utilize the technology. It is also believed that North Korea is also trying to export the technology to the Middle East.
Source: Yahoo! News via AFP / Yahoo! News via Reuters
Yang Hyong-Sop, vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, referred to Jong-Un as the “Young General” in a TV interview recently. “Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation,” Yang said. “Our people are honored to serve the great President Kim Il Sung and the great leader Kim Jong Il,” he added. “Now we also have the honor of serving young Gen. Kim Jong Un.” Things seem on the fast-forward now as yesterday’s speculations become today’s confirmations regarding the succession of North Korean leadership.
