SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il put to rest this week any doubt about whom he sees as his second in command when he elevated his brother-in-law Jang Song-taek to a powerful military post, analysts said on Friday.
Kim, 67, was re-elected to his leadership post at parliament on Thursday but questions about his health, raised by a suspected stroke in August, remained. He cut a gaunt figure at the session and, his hair thinned and graying, walked with a limp onto stage.
By elevating the energetic and urbane Jang, 63, to the North's seat of power called the National Defence Commission, Kim has set him up as a kingmaker, analysts said.
Jang, an economic specialist considered pragmatic and worldly, is seen as the most likely choice to take over should Kim suddenly pass away. He could also mentor one of Kim's three known sons if he decides to groom them for succession.
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