North Korea's next dictator?

Kim Jong Il has "rearranged the future leadership of North Korea" by promoting his youngest son to a high-ranking military post. What does this mean for the ultra-repressive regime?

Kim Jong Il is pictured here with his son Kim Jong Un the heir-apparent.
(Image credit: Corbis)

After weeks of anticipation, Workers' Party officials from across North Korea have convened in Pyongyang for a rare party conference set to begin on Tuesday. But before the festivities kicked off, despotic leader Kim Jong Il promoted his youngest son, the little-known Kim Jong Un, to the rank of four-star general — a sign, observers say, that the young man is "being queued up to succeed his father." (Watch an ITN News report about the promotion.) Here's a quick guide to North Korea's succession drama:

Why would Kim Jong Il name a successor now?

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