Pyongyang sacks prime minister in reshuffle

13:56, 8 June 2010

SEOUL. June 8. KAZINFORM The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) named a brother-in-law of leader Kim Jong-il to a powerful military post on Monday and sacked its premier in moves seen as consolidating Kim's grip on power and paving the way for his youngest son to succeed him.

Kim attended a rare session of the parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, to personally name Jang Song-thaek as vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, the DPRK's KCNA news agency said.

The commission, headed by Kim himself, represents the pinnacle of power in the DPRK.

The second assembly session in two months came amid growing momentum in the international community to punish Pyongyang for the sinking of a Republic of Korea (ROK) navy corvette in March that killed 46 sailors.

Jang, who had once fallen out of Kim's favor but has since returned to his inner circle, is the husband of the leader's sister, and is viewed as the key figure for ensuring a smooth transfer of power from Kim to one of his sons.

"Jang would be the most trustworthy person to Kim ,"said Park Young-ho of the Korea Institute for National Analysis.

According to Huang Youfu, director of the Institute of Korean Studies at Beijing-based Central University for Nationalities, the appointment of Jang to the National Defense Commission will make Jang the No 2 figure in the DPRK, second only to Kim himself, Kazinform refers to China Daily.

See www.chinadaily.com.cn

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