North Korean soldiers stand guard on the railroad outside of the inter-Korean industrial park in Kaesong. The brother-in-law of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il has become even more powerful since Kim fell sick, officials and analysts say, with some believing he is effectively standing in for the supreme leader. (AFP/File/Jung Yeon-Je)From Yahoo News/AFP:
SEOUL (AFP) – The brother-in-law of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il has become even more powerful since Kim fell sick, officials and analysts say, with some believing he is effectively standing in for the supreme leader.
The influence of Jang Song-Taek has become greater than ever since Kim was reportedly hit by a stroke, Cheong Seong-Chang, of South Korea's private Sejong Institute think-tank, said Tuesday.
"Jang is apparently in charge of receiving orders from Kim and channelling them (to state agencies)," he told AFP.
A senior South Korean intelligence official went further, saying Jang was acting like a stand-in in day-to-day state affairs.
Kim, the absolute ruler of his hardline communist state, has never publicly designated a successor to run his impoverished but nuclear-armed nation.
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My Comment: If Kim Jong-il suffered a serious stroke, it will be months before we learn the true state of his condition.