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Successor to North Korean Leader May Be Named This Year - Russian Agency

Posted on: Tuesday, 4 October 2005, 09:00 CDT

Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS

Pyongyang, 4 October: A successor to North Korean leader Kim Jong- il may be officially named at a congress of the Korean Workers' Party, which is expected to take place this year, an informed diplomatic source in Pyongyang told ITAR-TASS on Tuesday [4 October].

"An announcement on successor's appointment may be made already this month, and it may be timed to festivities marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean Workers' Party, due on 10 October," the source said.

"It is not ruled out that this will happen at a closed cession of the party's Central Committee, and not at the congress, the convocation of which is usually announced at least one month in advance," he added.

According to the diplomat, one of Kim's three sons is the most likely successor. The expert said they all have "approximately equal chances".

Kim Jong-il succeeded his father in 1998, four years after Kim Il- sung's death. Kim Il-sung had ruled the country for half a century.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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