North Korea Sets For Historic Conference

By ETHAN Markoff

NORTH KOREA NEWS - North Korea ruling party will create a history, at least said a statement, when declared that leader Kim Jong-il would hold a rare leadership conference to name his successor. It is expected the third son of Mr. Kim, Kim Jong-un would be promoted to a senior position.

The self-styled leader has suffered a stroke 2008 and reached at age 68. The party meeting would be a historic one as it is out of convention to talk while choosing a leader.

The Korean Central News Agency early Tuesday spread the news about the party meeting.

"The conference of the WPK [Workers Party of Korea] for electing its supreme leadership body will take place in Pyongyang on 28 September," the statement said.

There was a week long speculation about the date of the meeting, believing to happen somewhere early this month. Though there is no clue why it had been postponed.

It is believed that the meeting postponed either because of severe flooding in the north of the country or the health condition of the leader.

Kim Jong-il was promoted in 1980 and eventually became leader after his father death in 1994. He was the man behind the North Korea oblivion to outside world.

It has been reported that the leader in a recent past has underwent serious treatment in China, one of the country's few allies. Though the country has not officially confirmed the details of illness.