The youngest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has been given senior posts in the ruling communist party, state media said Wednesday, in apparent confirmation he is the heir apparent to his father. Kim Jong-Un was named a member of the party's central committee and vice-chairman of its central military commission, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The announcement of Kim Jong-Un's election to key party positions came a day after Kim Jong Il made him a four-star general. The announcement of his promotion marked his official debut in North Korean state media. The posts would be the son's first known political positions. His 68-year-old father is widely believed to be preparing the son to succeed him as leader and to take the Kim reign in North Korea to a third generation. The elder Kim, who rules the nation of 24 million with absolute authority, reportedly suffered a stroke two years ago and is said to be suffering from diabetes and kidney trouble. The military commission is authorized to formulate the party's military policies, direct the country's 1.2 million-member army and oversee military build-up projects, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry. KCNA said Kim Jong Il remains chairman of the commission. Kim Kyong Hui, the leader's younger sister, retained her post on the Central Committee while her husband, Jang Song Thaek, was named a department director of the Central Committee, KCNA said. The North Korean capital was in a festive mood, with banners and placards celebrating the party meeting, where Kin Jong-Il was re-elected to the party's top position of general secretary. It is the communist country's biggest political gathering in 30 years. The succession within the opaque regime is of regional significance because of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs and continuing tensions between North Korea and rival South Korea – where the US retains a major military presence. It was the North Korean state media's first mention of Kin Jong-un, who has remained so well hidden from the outside world that not even his face or exact age can be confirmed. He is believed to be 27 or 28, and is said to have been schooled in Switzerland and educated at Kim Il sung Military University in Pyongyang. However, it is clear that “Kin Jong-un's promotion is the starting point for his formal succession to power,” said Kim Yong-Hyun, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.
