North Korean leader Kim Jong-il could give his heir-apparent son the rank of a marshal and elevate him as the supreme commander late this year, a state-run think tank in Seoul said Sunday in an analysis of Pyongyang's New Year's message.
The possible elevation of Kim Jong-un, the leader's youngest son, could come around Dec. 24, when the communist nation will mark the 20th anniversary of the elder Kim's rise to the supreme commandership, the Korea Institute for National Unification said.
The junior Kim, who is believed to be in his late 20s, was made a four-star general and given high-level posts at the ruling Workers Party in September of last year. The moves represented the North's first concrete steps to put the inexperienced son in line to take over the family dynasty.
In its New Year's message, the North said Saturday that the "promising future and invincibility of our Party and revolution were fully demonstrated through the grand political events of last year," an apparent reference to the junior Kim's debut as the country's next leader, the think tank said.
Leader Kim also attended a Dec. 24 party celebrating the 19th anniversary of his rise to the supreme commandership, along with heir-apparent, Jong-un, and other top military leaders -- an unusual move that may signal Kim's intention to bequeath the top military post to his son, the institute said.
The North's emphasis in the New Year's message of improved relations and dialogue with the South could be an indication that economic difficulties in the impoverished nation are too severe to overcome and that the regime wants aid from the South, it said.
The think tank stressed, however, that aid should be linked to North Korea's denuclearization efforts and its apology for last year's military provocations, such as the March sinking of a South Korean warship and the November shelling of a South Korean island.