[Straits Times] THE only sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il - promoted to four-star general just before a key party meeting - will act as guardian to his youngest son and heir apparent, analysts say.Ahah. A regency. Good idea.
| Will we get elegant furniture designs and inelegant romance novels out of it? |
At least until the old man is out of the way. All bets are off then.
A ruling party meeting which reportedly started on Tuesday was expected to anoint the son as eventual successor, possibly by giving him senior party posts. As the leader's only sibling sharing the same parents, Kim Jong Il is widely reported to be indulgent towards Kyong Hui, now 64.
'As Kim Jong Il relies on relatives for the succession plan, she is now a key member of the group backing the heir apparent,' Lee Gee Dong of the Institute for National Security Strategy told AFP.
Kyong Hui began her official career in 1971 with a management position in the Korean Democratic Women's Union. The following year she married Jang, whom she had met when they both attended Kim Il Sung University.
South Korea's unification ministry said in February she appeared to be wielding more power after making a comeback to the frontline of the regime last year.