The Associated Press
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By KELLY OLSEN Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea October 5, 2010 (AP)
FILE - In this undated photo released on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010, by Korean Central News Agency via...
FILE - In this undated photo released on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010, by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il, right, poses for a group photo with newly elected members of the central leadership body of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK), including his third son Kim Jong Un, left, and Vice Marshal Ri Yong Ho, and participants to the WPK conference in front of the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea's heir apparent Kim Jong Un appeared Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010, for the first time in the country's state media reports on visits by his father, supreme leader Kim Jong Il, to review troops and factories. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service, File) ** JAPAN OUT **
(AP)
North Korea's heir apparent observed military drills with his father, according to a state media report Tuesday, heralding a growing public profile for Kim Jong Un as he takes on a more prominent role in the reclusive nation.
The official Korea Central News Agency said in a dispatch that Kim joined his father, supreme leader Kim Jong Il, in a visit to a military unit and to observe a live-fire drill. The choice of a military unit, rather than an industrial site, for the first such report highlights the importance of North Korea's "songun," or "military first," policy.
Kim Jong Un made his public debut last week after being promoted to four-star general and vice chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's central military commission. That confirmed analyst speculation that he had been chosen to succeed his ailing father as eventual ruler of the impoverished authoritarian regime that pursues active nuclear and missile programs.
North Korea's succession is being closely watched because of concerns over Kim Jong Il's health. The 68-year-old is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 and regional powers are concerned about possible instability in the country were he to die without having a firm succession plan in place.
Kim Jong Il took over as North Korea's leader in 1994 when his father, national founder Kim Il Sung, died of heart failure in what became the first hereditary succession in the communist world.
Tuesday's Korean-language report did not specify exactly when the visit took place. Also attending the event were top military officers and other ruling party officials including Jang Song Thaek and his wife, Kim Kyong Hui, who is Kim Jong Il's younger sister.
Jang and Kim Kyong Hui are considered close to Kim Jong Il and are expected to play a key role in ensuring the succession process goes smoothly.
Kim Jong Un was only mentioned in the report as being among the accompanying officials. He was listed third after North Korean Premier Choe Yong Rim and Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army Ri Yong Ho.
