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Sources say power sharing may already be under way
September 13, 2008
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Now a growing number of sources familiar with Pyongyang politics are saying Kim Ok, Kim’s longtime secretary who is also known to be his concubine, is making many of the country’s policy decisions on Kim’s behalf. “We believe that Kim has recently started brushing his teeth himself, though he still has difficulty walking,” said one senior Seoul official who declined to be named. The official, however, said the South Korean government is still keeping a close eye on the Pyongyang presidential palace since Kim, notorious for his decadent lifestyle, is known to be vulnerable to medical maladies. Since Kim’s health was catapulted into the public spotlight this week, political observers and intelligence officials here and abroad have scrambled to find the slightest sign over who may possibly succeed the 66 year old. But such signs remain murky at best while many sources point out Pyongyang may be operating under a collective leadership, while Kim Ok, the leader’s secretary, is also cementing her leverage within Pyongyang’s political scene. A source familiar with Pyongyang politics said the reason for the collective leadership theory stems from Kim’s failure to designate his heir-apparent, while his father, Kim Il Sung, chose Jong-il as his successor when Jong-il was in his early 30s. “None of Kim Jong-il’s sons ? Jong-nam or Jong-chul - have made any political accomplishments,” said the source. “There is a high possibility that Kim’s leadership may be followed by a collective leadership with a deep military involvement.” Another prevalent scenario on the future Pyongyang politics features Kim Ok. “We are closely watching the woman who holds the door to Kim’s bedroom,” said one South Korean intelligence source in charge of North Korean affairs. According to the source, the 44-year-old secretary has been living in Kim Jong-il’s residence and playing the role of his de facto wife. Kim Ok is one of a handful of people who have direct access to the reclusive leader, along with his sons. “She is the one who has the most accurate information about Kim Jong-il’s medical condition, along with the Chinese doctor who is taking care of him,” said the source. quoting a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official, also said Kim Ok is handling all the paperwork to approve the country’s major policy decisions while the bedridden Kim may not be even involved in the process. Kim Ok is known to have majored in piano at the Pyongyang School of Music before working at Kim Jong-il’s secretarial office. She had remained low profile until October 2000, when Jo Myong-rok, chief of the North’s Political Bureau of the People’s Army, visited Washington as the North’s special envoy to meet then- U.S. President Bill Clinton. She was the only female in the North Korean entourage that accompanied Jo. Another source familiar with the North’s politics also said Ko Yong-hui, the late third wife of Kim and the mother of likely heir Jong-chul, promoted Kim Ok to her current high-profile position. The source said Koh, who died of cancer in 2004, selected Kim Ok to take care of her two sons after her death and to catapult her to the potentially powerful position. “Kim Ok will be confined to play a minor role in an ordinary power succession process,” said Lee Ki-dong, an inter-Korean research fellow at the Institute of National Security Strategy. “But in times like Kim Jong-il’s sudden death, her role may become critically important.” By Chae Byung-geon JoongAng Ilbo /Jung Ha-won Staff Reporter [hawon@joongang.co.kr] |
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