Party Conference Expected to Convene in North Korea This Weekend

The dynastic appointment of the “next generation” to the leadership of North Korea moves to the next level as Kim Jong-il, the actual President of the Communist country, is expected to convene a conference of the Workers’ Party this weekend to announce publicly the new leader of the country, his third son, Kim Jong-eun. This is expected to be the first high-level gathering of the North Korean party in 40 years of “wise leadership” of the Kim dynasty.

This would make him the third member of the family who would lead the country since 1948, when Kim Il-sung founded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

It is considered that Kim Jong-il may not even propose this at the conference of the party, and it is possible that he may not even convene the gathering. Given the way the regime communicates with people through media, nothing is certain in this situation.

There are speculations, though. For instance, Kim Jong-il’s visit to China in the village where his father, the “Great Leader,” went to school, episode Korean kids learn about in schools, was interpreted as a way of restating the importance of the Kim family for DPRK, especially since Kim Il-sung is still worshipped like o god (in as much as an atheist regime can afford to foster such a worship), and this mystical emphasis could speak more than any announcement Kim could make someday at the national television.

The only thing known so far in Pyongyang is that posters can be seen in the capital city announcing that the delegates are gathering for a party reunion. The rest is a matter of guessing and interpreting reality.

Funny thing, unheard of in the civilized countries, where ascending to power means a lot of exposure to media channels, is that although everybody in the whole world is talking about Kim Jong-eun, no one in the North Korea, except for the members of the family or party, has ever heard of him. Kim Jong-eun has never shown his face on national television, was never heard on national radio, no one knows anything about him, not even that he is expected to rule this country.

Not even the fact that he accompanied his father in China is confirmed, since no one knows him enough to say that for sure, though speculations are being made that he was there and was introduced to the Chinese president Hu Jintao. During the visit in China it seems Kim committed himself and his son to the cause of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, a project that the Chinese took to the table of dialogue a few days after when they proposed the resumption of dialogue on Korean Peninsula.

In fact, it is considered that the whole purpose of this presumed gathering is to acquaint Kim with the most important people in the party leadership. Even the announcement of his participation in this gathering would be national news, especially on the background of the alarming news concerning the health condition of the actual president.

Although there is this mysticism surrounding the son of Kim Jong-il, it is reported that there are some certain signs of the fact that Kim Jong-eun is actually stepping up to take the office his father is preparing for him. Thus, he has acquired some positions in the military structure of the country, which is the most important structure in the state, and has accompanied his father in some visits in the country.

Even the international media knows little about the possible next president of North Korea. The only picture of Kim Jong-eun by the side of his father was published in a Japanese newspaper, but the photographer said he was not sure it was the son of Kim or a factory director.

It is known for sure, however, that he was brought up in a Swiss boarding school, that he has some Western habits, and that he speaks English and French.