WORLD BRIEFING / NORTH KOREA
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has promoted a trusted in-law, the clearest sign yet he is making preparations for a successor, analysts said.
Kim appointed brother-in-law Jang Song Taek to the all-powerful National Defense Commission, providing analysts with clues about what the future may hold for the nation.
The appointment shows that Kim is trying to prepare for his eventual departure and pave the way to hand power to one of his sons, analysts said, just as he inherited the mantle from his late father and North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
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