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Sejong Institute researcher Chung Sung-jang said it was possible that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il would name his successor in 2005, given that the year marks a significant anniversary since the birth of the North's official political party.
In the January edition of "Trends and Policies," published by the Sejong Institute, Chung said, "As 2005 is the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the North Korean Workers Party (KWP), measures may be taken to name a successor and establish his position."
He said that even if a successor were officially chosen within the KWP, his name might not be immediately used or disclosed in North Korean documents.
As for his rationale behind that observation, Chung cited the example of Kim Jong-il, who was named Kim Il-sung's successor in 1974, a fact that was not mentioned in North Korean documents until the Sixth Party Congress in 1980.
One Unification Ministry official said that because 2005 is the 60th anniversary of the nation's "liberation," the tenth anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong-il's military-led "Songun Politics," and the fifth anniversary of the intra-Korean summit of June 15, it was possible that a measure "worth remembering" might be taken.
(Kwon Kyeong-bok, kkb@chosun.com )
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