SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s son and handpicked heir has been elected to parliament but he will at best become a figurehead under a military-led collective leadership, news reports said today quoting a source.
Kim Jong-un was elected to the Supreme People’s Assembly at the elections in March last year from district 216, South Korean media quoted a Western source familiar with the North as saying.
The election may have been kept under wraps because the North has been wary of inciting discontent by publicly promoting Kim Jong-il’s son as heir during economic difficulties, analysts said.
“I have been able to confirm directly from a North Korean official that Kim Jong-un has been elected from the 216 electoral district,” the unnamed Western source was quoted by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper as telling reporters.
The number 216 signifies the birthday of the current leader and is reserved for persons of special entitlement, making it likely “Kim Jong” who appears on the list of elected delegates is in fact the youngest son of Kim Jong-il, the source said.
