North Korea's Kim feverish on succession: Seoul

By Jack Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's defense chief says North Korea's military grandstanding that included last month's nuclear test was linked to leader Kim Jong-il's succession plans in the "inhumane" state, an official said on Wednesday.
At the United Nations on Tuesday, world powers edged toward an agreement on a resolution expanding sanctions on North Korea because of its nuclear test and weapons program, but were unable to close the deal, diplomats said.
North Korea has angered the region and beyond in the past weeks with missile launches, threats to attack the South and the May 25 nuclear test, prompting U.S. and South Korean forces to raise a military alert on the peninsula to one of its highest levels since the 1950-53 Korean War.
"Kim Jong-il is bloodshot in the eyes trying to build a succession plan to pass on power by creating tension ... while ignoring the desperate plight of his starving people and the impoverished state of the economy," Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said in an address to troops, according to a military aide.
"The North Korean regime is an unethical, irresponsible and inhumane group which puts its own survival ahead of the lives and happiness of the people," Lee said in the message.
South Korean lawmakers said they were briefed by the South's spy agency and told the North's leaders have started the groundwork that would allow Kim's youngest son, Swiss-educated Jong-un, to take over power.
Analysts said the show of military strength might help leader Kim, 67, divert attention from an faltering economy that has only grown worse under his rule and also boost support after a suspected stroke about a year ago raised questions over his iron grip on power.
His economy could take another hit as the United States and Japan have pushed for strong sanctions to punish North Korea for its nuclear test, but China and Russia have been cautious about provoking Pyongyang by imposing more sanctions.
North Korea appeared to be ready to ratchet up tensions by firing a long-range missile that could reach U.S. territory and mid-range missiles capable of striking anywhere in the South and most of Japan, officials said.
In an indication of growing concern for possible aggression by the North, South Korea has doubled the deployment of naval destroyers and patrol vessels in disputed waters off the peninsula's west coast, a report in the South Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo said on Wednesday.
North Korean vessels last week intruded into the South's territorial waters, retreating after warning maneuvers by South Korean navy. The area off the west coast of the peninsula has been the site of two deadly naval battles between the rival states over the past 10 years.
(Editing by Jon Herskovitz and David Fox)

Source: Reuters