Who will be next?

On September 9, 2008, after not appearing publicly for a military parade celebrating the DPRK’s 60th anniversary, it was reported by US and ROK media that Kim Jong-Il, Chairman of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, was recovering from serious health problems, possibly a stroke. This has caused the world to wonder once again, “If the North is left without The Dear Leader, who will be next?”

About Kim Jong-Il

First of all, let’s look at the path that brought Kim Jong-Il to his current position.

Official DPRK biographers claim that Kim Jong-Il was born on February 16, 1942. The official Pyongyang version states that before he was born on PaekDu Mountain, it was foretold by a swallow; and at his birth a double rainbow appeard over the mountain and a new star in the sky (Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, p. 1). Forrmer Soviet records claim that he was born near Khabarovsk in far eastern Russia in 1941 where his father Kim Il-Sung commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, made up of Chinese and Korean communists. In the Soviet Union Kim Jong-Il’s official name was Yuri Irsenovich Kim. It wasn’t until 1945 when World War II ended and Korea regained its independence from Japan that the family returned to Pyongyang (BBC News, Ed. Steve Herrmann, Oct 9, 2006).
Official DPRK records claim that Kim Jong-Il received his early education in Pyongyang; many foreign academics believe that due to the Korean War, he probably received his primary education somewhere in the People’s Republic of China.
In September of 1960, Kim Jong-Il entered Kim Il-Sung University and majored in Marxist Political Economy. In 1961 he joined the Worker’s Party of Korea. Around that time he began going with his father on “tours of field guidance,” visiting farms, factories and other workplaces around the nation.
After his graduation from Kim Il-Sung University, Kim Jong-Il began to move up through the Korean Worker’s Party. He worked hard to make sure the party’s ideals were upheld and that activities didn’t stray far from the ideology set up by his father Kim, Il-Sung (www.wikipediainfo.org).

By the early 1980’s Kim Jong-Il was one of the most powerful persons in the Korean Worker’s Party. In October of 1980, he was given senior positions in the Military Commission and the party Secretariat. By 1982, it was assumed by most of the world that Kim Jong-Il was the heir apparent.

It was also in the early 1980’s that Kim Jong- Il first became known as “The Dear Leader” and was revered highly by all in the nation, with Kim Jong-Il only slightly lower than his father. By the time Kim Il-Sung passed away in July of 1994, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind about who would become the DPRK’s next leader.

According to a former Worker’s Party leader, when leadership passed from Kim Il-Sung to Kim Jong-Il, the Pyongyang government became more centralized. Kim Il-Sung had required loyalty from his government workers but often asked their opinions and advice. Kim Jong-Il required absolute obedience. After he assumed power, every aspect of the government became controlled. Now very little happens outside of the direct orders of Kim Jong Il.

Possible Successors

Since Kim Jong-Il has not followed his father in publicly grooming and naming a successor, there have been many speculations about who will be the next heir. Kim had a daughter from one marriage, Kim Sul-Song (born in 1974). From another union, he had a son, Kim Jong-Nam (born in 1971), his eldest son. In 2001 this son tried to enter Japan on a false passport and since then has dropped from the official DPRK spotlight (Chosun Ilbo, Feb 18, 2003). From another union, he had two sons, Kim Jong-Chul in 1981, and Kim Jong-Un (also "Jong Woon" or "Jong Woong") in 1984; their mother passed away in 2004. At one point, many thought that Kim Jong-Chul would be the successor (Chosun Ilbo, Sept 20, 2005 and His Time for North Korea: O, 2006, a prayer guide for North Korea). He is only 27 now and rather young to lead a nation. Presently Kim Jong Il is living with Kim Ok ("The Kim Family Tree", Scripps News, Feb 2, 2007).
So Kim Jong-Il has three sons. Oh Kuk-Ryul, an army general, has also been noted as a possible successor. Until now, though, the DPRK government has remained rather silent about the issue.

Our Responsibility

One thing is very clear though. Last time leadership changed in the DPRK, someone was groomed and waiting to take the position. Things are different this time. Now is an urgent time to pray for the upcoming leadership. No one knows when or how the leadership will change, but inevitably it will. Now is an important time to pray that God would name the successor and that whatever change comes would serve to advance the cause of the gospel, and promote the spiritual, mental, and physical health of a nation in desperate need.