
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 14, 1994                   TAG: 9407140093
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: SEOUL                                  LENGTH: Medium

N. KOREA'S RADIO: KIM'S SON WILL TAKE TOP 3 POSITIONS

North Korea's state-controlled radio reported Wednesday that supreme power in the renegade Communist state has passed to Kim Jong Il, saying the 52-year-old Kim has succeeded his late father, Kim Il Sung, in all three of the top ruling positions.

If accurate, the report means the mysterious figure who has never been known to give a speech in public will take over as secretary general of the Workers Party, the nation's only legal party; as commander of the million-member armed forces; and as president, and thus civilian head of state, of the nation formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

That would give the son full control of the governing apparatus set up by Kim Il Sung, the self-styled ``Great Leader'' who died Friday, reportedly of a heart attack.

In its characteristic style, Radio Pyongyang's news service reported several times that ``Our dear leader and comrade Kim Jong Il, the sole successor to our great leader, now holds the revered positions at the top of the party, the government and the revolutionary forces.''

But South Korean officials said they would await clearer notification from the North before concluding that the younger Kim has managed to carry out the transfer of power.

(In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Christine Shelly said of the announcement of Kim Jong Il's succession, ``We certainly have no information that suggests otherwise.'')

South Korean officials said the radio report is not surprising, because the transfer of the father's power to the son had seemed to be going smoothly since the first word of Kim Il Sung's death. U.S. and South Korean observers say they have seen no sign of unusual population movements or military activity in the North.

Any report about Kim Jong Il on Radio Pyongyang is received here with some skepticism. Kim reportedly controls the broadcast network, and if there were opposition to his ascension, it would probably not be mentioned on his radio station.

In any case, analysts here said they do not think Kim Jong Il or anyone else can formally assume the three titles until after the funeral for Kim Il Sung, which is set for Sunday.

North Korea's state-run television released more videotape Wednesday, showing near-hysteria among mourners wailing and weeping before statues of the dead leader. Citizens by the tens of thousands were seen literally beating their breasts and crying uncontrollably.

by CNB