North Korea to top agenda at Lee-Hu summit in China

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will this week ask China to use its influence to lean on North Korea to show restraint amid a delicate transition to a new leadership in Pyongyang focused on projecting a militaristic image.

Lee will hold a summit with China’s president, Hu Jintao, in Beijing and will “discuss ways to develop the strategic partnership between the two nations and cooperative measures for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula”, the South Korean president’s office said in a statement.

Lee’s three-day state trip to China, his second in four years, starts tomorrow.

The South has said its primary foreign policy goal this year is maintaining stability on the divided peninsula as its unpredictable neighbour embarks on a third generation of dynastic rule following Kim Jong-il’s death last month.

Little is known about Kim’s chosen successor, his son Kim Jong-un, who in his late 20s and who will be relying on a small circle of trusted members of the military and political elite to act as minders while he cements his grip on power.

North Korean Mourners Line Streets for Kim Jong-il's Funeral

Kim Jong-un, the designated successor to the socialist throne in Pyongyang, North Korea, bid farewell on Wednesday to his deceased father, Kim Jong-il, walking along his hearse through snow-covered downtown Pyongyang in an ...

Funeral for North Korean leader starts

North Korea's military staged a huge funeral procession on Wednesday in the snowy streets of the capital Pyongyang for its deceased "dear leader," Kim Jong-il, readying a transition to his son, Kim Jong-un.North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un cries as his father, North Korea's late leader Kim Jong-il, lies in state during the run-up to his funeral in Pyongyang in this still image taken from video broadcast on December 27, 2011.



Pictures from state television showed a funeral cortege led by a limousine carrying a huge picture of the 69-year old, who died on December 17, passing serried ranks of olive green-clad soldiers whose heads were bowed.

A hearse carrying the coffin was led by a weeping Kim Jong-un, accompanied Jang Song-thaek, his uncle and a key power-broker in the transition, and Ri Yong-ho, the army chief of staff.

Kim Jong-un will become the third member of the family to run the isolated and unpredictable Asian country.

The coming year was supposed to mark North Korea's self-proclaimed transformation into a "strong and prosperous" nation, but it faces a dangerous transition to a young, untested leader at a time when dictatorships across the world have tumbled.

It would seem however that little is set to change in a country that has staged what many analysts have dubbed a "Great March Backwards" over the last 20 years.

Strong it may be - North Korea is backed by neighbouring China, has conducted two nuclear tests and has ambitions to become a nuclear power and boasts a 1.2 million-strong armed forces - but prosperous it is not.

On average, North Koreans die three-and-a-half years earlier than they did when "Eternal President" Kim Il-sung died, according to U.N. data.

Japan getting ready for unexpected after Kim’s death

Portraits of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung (left) and his son Kim Jong-il at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang


Japan scurried to prepare for the unexpected today after news that Kim Jong-il, the leader of its unpredictable neighbour North Korea, had died of a heart attack.

“We hope this sudden event does not have an adverse effect on the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura told a news conference after a hastily called ministerial meeting on security.

Kim Jong Il: Revered at home; remembered outside as repressive

North Korea's longtime leader Kim Jong Il, the embodiment of the reclusive state where his cult of personality is deeply entrenched, has died.

Dear Leader Kim Jong-il dead at 69

A file photo shows a national meeting held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s start of work at the central committee of the Worker’s Party of Korea in Pyongyang June 18, 2004. Father and son together in later life. Kim Jong-il is seen in this combination of file photographs from 2004 to 2009.



orth Korean leader Kim Jong-il, revered at home by a propaganda machine that turned him into a demi-god and vilified in the West as a temperamental tyrant with a nuclear arsenal, has died, North Korean state television reported today.

Kim, who was 69 years old, died early on Saturday of a heart attack while on a train journey, it said.

Kim Jong Il's eldest son attacks choice of his younger brother as North Korea's next leader

Kim Jong Il's eldest son has hit out at his father's choice of successor as his younger brother Kim Jong Un is prepared to take over as ruler of North Korea.

Kim Jong Un - said to be his father's favourite - has become the front-runner to inherit the mantle of leadership, despite his youth and inexperience.

Kim Jong Nam was once considered likely to succeed his ailing father but reportedly fell out of favor after being caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport in 2001.

And it was a Japanese TV programme - TV Asahi - which broadcast footage of Kim Jong Nam making the remarks in Beijing, in which he said he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to a third generation of his family.
 

Passed over: Kim Jong-Nam attacked his father's choice of successor

The chosen one: North Korea leader Kim Jong Il, left, and his son Kim Jong Un observe the huge military parade at the weekend

'Personally, I am against third-generation succession, but .... if there were internal factors, (we) should abide by them,' he said.

Kim John Nam's comments follow a spectacular parade at Pyongyang Plaza in North Korea over the weekend.

It was officially staged to mark the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers Party, founded by late President Kim Il Sung, but the subtext proved to be the first major public outing for Kim Jong Un.

Having all but banned the international media from North Korea, Kim Jong Il invited selected media to the parade - the biggest in the country's history - to give them a better look at his anointed successor.

Until two weeks ago, Kim Jong Un's future was little more than rumor and speculation outside North Korea.

The third son of Kim Jong Il had never appeared in the tightly-controlled state media until late last month, and even the exact spelling of his name was unclear, as is his age.

Believed to be 26, there were not even any photos of him as an adult until the state's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper recently published a group shot of the young man seated with his father and other top party leaders.

But his promotion to four-star general late last month, followed by his appointment to key political posts within the Workers' Party, confirmed suspicions he is being groomed to take the Kim family dynasty into a third generation.

Last week state television showed still images of father and son watching a military unit carry out live-fire drills.

The Swiss-educated son, known as the Young General or Young Commander, looks set to take control of the nuclear-armed nation of 24 million when his father steps down.

The question of succession has been a pressing one since Kim Jong Il, 68, reportedly suffered a stroke in 2008.

The inexperienced son would face a mountain of challenges if he were to take over as leader anytime soon, including tensions with regional powers over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program and a faltering economy further strained by sanctions imposed by the U.S. and United Nations.

But after three public appearances in two days, the two Kims stayed out of the spotlight on Monday.

Unusually, the international media who were allowed into the country to cover the parade were also allowed rare access to families away from the official events.

With few natural resources and little arable land, North Korea has struggled to feed its people since natural disasters battered its agricultural industry in the 1990s and aid from the former Soviet bloc dried up.

But the communist regime still rules and its people seemed ready to embrace the leader in waiting.

Yesterday, a national holiday at the tail end of a long weekend, every North Korean received a special gift from the government, as is the case on most major holidays.

Pak Chol, a 23-year-old who said he watched the live parade broadcast at home, took his family to the popular holiday spot of Moran Hill in Pyongyang for a picnic with their food parcelsm which included beer, Korean soju liquor, meat, fish and snacks.

'He has President Kim Il Sung's face,' said Pak.

'We had heard that when the Young General was young, he was admired by everyone who met him for his intelligence and good personality.

'I truly felt the strength of our country when I saw the Great Leader Kim Jong Il and the Young General Kim Jong Un.

'If we have General Kim Jong Il and young General Kim Jong Un leading the country, we can open up the gates and become a stronger and more prosperous nation.'

Down at the Taedong River, families gathered to fish and use paddleboats.

Jo Hyang Mi, who also said she watched Sunday's military parade on TV, was equally effusive in Kim Jong Un's praise.

'I was so happy to see Kim Jong Un after he was elected vice-chairman of the military commission,' she said.

'I feel happy and full of conviction knowing that our country is powerful and that our strength comes from the leadership of our Great Leader Kim Jong Il and from Kim Jong Un.'

Kim Jong Un is likely to inherit leadership of North Korea when Kim Jong Il dies.

Kim Jong Il himself became leader when Kim Il Sung died in 1994 in what was the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.

Kim Il Sung was a former guerrilla who fought against Japan's colonization of Korea and built a cult of personality around himself and his son after founding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948.

Broadcast: The spectacular parade was shown live on TV, where most North Koreans saw it

Show of force: Thousands of troops from every branch of North Korea's 1.2-million-strong military joined the parade

Nuclear nation: Tanks and trucks loaded with rocket launchers and grenades rolled past the assembled dignitaries

Broadcast: The spectacular parade was shown live on TV, where most North Koreans saw it

North Korea confirms for the first time that Kim Jong Un will succeed his father as leader

A North Korean official has confirmed today for the first time that Kim Jong Il's youngest son will succeed him as the communist nation's next leader.

Yang Hyong Sop, a top official in North Korea's ruling party, referred to Kim Jong Un as 'the young general' during an interview with APTN.

He said the nation's people would be honoured to serve him as their leader.

Kim Jong Un would be the third successive generation of his family to lead North Korea, which has a population of 24 million.

His grandfather Kim Il Sung founded the nation in 1948 on a policy of self-reliance called 'juche'.

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Family tradition: Grandfather Kim Il Sung founded North Korea in 1948 and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong Il in 1994. Right, Kim Jong Un will be the next leader

On ceremony: Kim Jong Un standing with other North Korean Army figures. He was promoted to a four-star general last month

Yang said: 'Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation.

'Our people are honoured to serve the great President Kim Il Sung and the great leader Kim Jong Il.

'Now we also have the honour of serving young General Kim Jong Un.'

Yang is a member of the political bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, - the equivalent of the country's parliament.

Kim Jong Un had been virtually unknown outside the secretive nation before he made his public debut last week, when he was promoted to four-star general and vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's central military commission.

That backed up analyst speculation that he had been chosen to succeed his ailing father as eventual ruler of the impoverished authoritarian regime, which pursues active nuclear and missile programs.

The world got its first real glimpse of Kim Jong Un last week when his photo was published in state media and he was shown on television at a Workers' Party convention, the country's most significant political gathering in 30 years.

Yang's comments are the first public confirmation that Kim Jong Un will eventually take over as leader.

Kim Jong Il took over as leader after his father died in 1994 in what was the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.

Leader in waiting: North Korea has today officially announced that Kim Jong Un will succeed his father as leader

South Korea warns of problems when NK power shifts

The United States and South Korea should be prepared for a crisis in North Korea when dictator Kim Jong Il leaves power, South Korea's defense chief said Friday.

The expected transfer of power to Kim's youngest son could have unpredictable consequences in the isolated nation, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said during a visit to the Pentagon.

"When Kim Jong Il's health may deteriorate, or if there's a movement of public opinion in North Korea, we cannot eliminate the possibility of there being an instability situation in North Korea" that would affect the security of the whole peninsula, Kim said through an interpreter.


Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, and South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young hold a joint news conference at the Pentagon, Friday, Oct. 8, 2010.


Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, looks toward South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae-young at the end of a joint news conference at the Pentagon, Friday, Oct. 8, 2010.





He did not elaborate, but some experts warn that the North could try to raise the prestige of its next leader by launching missiles or attacking South Korean targets. Others have said change at the top could trigger a military coup or a popular revolt.

North Korea has maintained a tight grip on its people and economy over six decades, while it pursued nuclear and missile technology and repeatedly defied international demands to disarm.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who spoke with his South Korean counterpart, told reporters it is not clear that the North's current leader's son, Kim Jong Un, would steer his country differently than his father. In a joint statement following two days of talks, both the U.S. and South Korea said that they "will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state."

But North Korea's U.N. ambassador, Sin Son Ho, defended his country's nuclear deterrent, saying the Korean peninsula would already have turned into a "bloody ground of war" without it.

"The more the United States pursues the hostile policy and escalates nuclear threats against the sovereignty and existence of our nation, the DPRK will continue its self-defensive deterrence," Sin said, referring to his country using the initials of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

There are signs of improving relations between the Koreas, including plans for reunions of families divided by the Korean War and talk of reviving a joint tourism venture.

But the U.S. also has deep concerns. North Korea quit U.S.-backed disarmament talks two years ago, stands accused of torpedoing a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, in March and may be seeking to resurrect its partially dismantled nuclear weapons program.

Some experts say North Korea may be trying to create the illusion of a thaw while it presses ahead with its nuclear program and reorders its political leadership.

"There's a lot of speculation about the circumstances that lay behind the sinking of the Cheonan and whether other provocations may follow," Gates said. "Provocations will not be tolerated."

Referring to the Cheonan without mentioning its name, Sin accused the U.S. of fabricating a conspiracy, driving "the situation of the Korean peninsula into a brink of war."

"If the United States is truly concerned about peace and security on the Korean peninsula, it should cease immediately all the military maneuvers that aggravate the situation and accept the DPRK's proposal to conclude the peace treaty."

The South Korean defense minister said North Korea must take responsibility for the sinking and apologize before relations can improve.

He said there are no indications that North Korea plans to disrupt an upcoming meeting of the Group of 20 economic powers in South Korea. "But we will go about watching against North Korean threats and any possible North Korean provocations," he added, including stepped up surveillance in concert with the United States.

Also Friday, nuclear proliferation experts said North Korea may be moving ahead with a program to enrich uranium to make nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang has moved beyond laboratory-scale work and is now capable of building a "at the very least, a pilot-scale" plant of centrifuges to enrich uranium, said a report by the Institute for Science and International Security.

The same Washington-based group also recently reported that satellite images show new construction in the area around North Korea's nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, where it once produced plutonium for nuclear weapons.

The work is reportedly continuing at the same time that North Korea's leadership seems to have chosen a successor to Kim Jong Il.

A top official told broadcaster APTN on Friday that North Koreans will be honored to follow Kim's son as the third-generation leader of the reclusive communist nation.

The official's words underscored recent political moves in North Korea that seemed to seal the younger Kim's role as leader-in-waiting.

At the State Department, spokesman Mark Toner said that no matter who is in charge in Pyongyang, the U.S. will demand that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons. "We view that as an internal political matter and it really doesn't change our position," he said.

Paul Stares, an expert on Northeast Asian security at the Council on Foreign Relations, said it would be "irresponsible" not to prepare for numerous possible changes in North Korean behavior as leadership passes to a new generation.

"But there could also be provocative behavior," Stares said. "There could be possible unwelcome situations if there is a desire to burnish the credentials of the heir apparent by generating external provocations like the Cheonan or something else."

Victor Cha, who advised former President George W. Bush on North Korea, said that a leadership change would not reduce Pyongyang's reliance on ally China or loosen its grip on its centralized economy.

"Major economic reform for a political system like this is extremely risky," said Cha, now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"It is about the most risky thing that a closed regime can do and it is exponentially more risky if it is a closed regime going through a transition."

North Korea nuclear threat ‘alarming’, says South

Mercurial North Korea’s nuclear threat has reached an “alarming level” and it is now trying to miniaturise weapons to improve their mobility and impact, a South Korean government official said.

A US think-tank has also said satellite images taken last week showed that construction or excavation activity was taking place at the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex.

News that the North was pushing ahead with its nuclear plans in defiance of international pressure comes as Pyongyang, which has just recently set in motion a father-to-son power transition, has said it wants to return to stalled nuclear talks.

North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il is starting to hand the reins over to his son.





“We have judged that North Korea is currently operating all its nuclear programmes, including highly enriched uranium processing and the nuclear facility in Yongbyon,” said Kim Tae-hyo, the president’s secretary for national strategy, according to the JoongAng Daily today.

Even though it has exploded nuclear devices, North Korea has not shown it has a working nuclear bomb. Experts say they do not believe it has the ability to miniaturise an atomic weapon to place on a missile.

Under an earlier aid-for-disarmament agreement, the reclusive North began to close down Yongbyon, which when fully operational can produce enough fissile material for one nuclear bomb a year.

Last year, Pyongyang announced that in the face of US hostility it would restore parts of the plant, a year after blowing up the complex’s cooling tower in what it said was a display of its commitment to nuclear disarmament.

“Their nuclear programme is evolving even now at a very fast pace,” Kim told a forum on the future of Northeast Asia, adding the North’s nuclear threat had reached an “alarming level”.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil-yon told the UN General Assembly last week that Pyongyang would bolster its “nuclear deterrent” in response to the threat posed by the United States, but promised never to use its atomic arsenal to attack or threaten any nation.

The Institute for Science and International Security in Washington said in a report that satellite images showed there was activity in the area surrounding the destroyed cooling tower.

“However, there is no indication in the imagery that North Korea is rebuilding its cooling tower,” it said.

“In addition, the new excavation activity appears to be more extensive than would be expected for rebuilding the cooling tower. But the actual purpose of this excavation activity cannot be determined from the image and bears watching.”

Until recently, there was no indication of new construction or excavation activity in the area of the destroyed cooling tower, the report said.

The Yongbyon complex consists of a five-megawatt reactor, whose construction began in 1980, a fuel fabrication facility and a plutonium reprocessing plant, where weapons-grade material is extracted from spent fuel rods.

The site, about 100km north of Pyongyang, also houses a 50MW reactor whose construction was suspended under a 1994 nuclear deal with the United States. That reactor is nowhere near completion.

US officials said prior to the North’s second nuclear test last year, it had produced about 50k of plutonium, which proliferation experts say would be enough for six to eight nuclear weapons.

“It is our belief that North Korea is constantly working on making their weapons smaller, as all nations with nuclear programs wish to do, in order to produce nuclear weapons with more firepower and less plutonium,” Kim said.

“When the weapons are made mobile, they will be placed in the field, and when that time comes, they could wreak immense havoc on South Korean soil wherever they are aimed.”