Another Dynastic Power Transfer in North Korea?

Jong-Heon Lee is a correspondent with United Press International.

The death during the summer of North Korea's "respected mother" Ko Yong Hi, wife of Kim Jong-il, has posed a question: Will there be another dynastic succession of power in the hermit kingdom? Speculation is rife that Kim, the first ruler in communist history to succeed his father as head of state after a decades-long dynastic power inheritance program, has prepared to hand over his power to one of his three sons.

It has also been rumored that a power struggle exists among the candidates for the leadership of the impoverished communist country. "There seemed to be internal strife in the North over who would be the next leader after the death of Ko Yong-hi," said a South Korean businessman who has rare access to Pyongyang. "Ko's death may intensify the power struggle," he said.

According to South Korean news reports, Ko, who had acted as the "unofficial" first lady of the country, died of a heart attack on August 13 and was buried in secret. North Korea used an extremely expensive coffin purchased from France for the deceased first lady, reports said, citing Chinese sources.

There were rumors recently that she might have died after returning home from France, where she underwent surgery for breast cancer earlier this year. The direct cause of Ko's death was a heart attack, but the 51- year-old mistress had long battled with breast cancer. Her health worsened after she suffered severe head injuries in a car accident last September, according to the sources.

There has been no official North Korean announcement regarding Ko's death. But the South Korean government considers the death as a fait accompli. A senior government official said Ko died in May, not August. The North, analysts say, is not expected to announce her death because information relating to the private life of the fist family is a closely guarded secret.

Analysts say Ko's death could change the North's political landscape, especially regarding the country's leadership inheritance because she has two sons with Kim Jong-il, one of whom is widely believed to be next leader. Ko has been glorified in the North as "respected mother" and "great woman" since 1998 after the health of Kim's former wife, Song Hae-rim, worsened due to diabetes. Song died in 2002 in Moscow.