Mick Hartley

More on the Dear Leader's likely successor, Kim Jong Un, aka Kim Jong Woon, aka the Brilliant Comrade. From the Daily NK:

Mt. Baekdu, the highest mountain on the Korean peninsula, lies on the border between North Korea and China, where it has long been heralded as the mythical birthplace of Korean civilization.

In North Korea, Mt. Baekdu has further additional significance; it has been incorporated deep into the North Korean revolutionary myth, officially revered as the location where Kim Il Sung met Kim Jong Suk [Kim Il Sung's first wife and Kim Jong Il's mother], and where, despite large amounts of evidence to the contrary, Kim Jong Il is officially said to have been born.

It is a trend that is continuing with the current succession process, it seems. A source from Yangkang Province has informed Daily NK that the North Korean authorities are keenly propagating the notion that Kim Jong Woon is carrying on the “Baekdu lineage.” Indeed, plans are afoot to build memorials in his name at the existing revolutionary historical site at the foot of the mountain.

The revolutionary site is a place which currently contains exhibition halls covering Kim Il Sung’s and Kim Jong Il’s revolutionary activities, and monuments idolizing the Kim family.

The source reported on Monday, “On the 23rd of July, Premier of the Cabinet Kim Jong Il and other high officials arrived in Hyesan. The purpose of their visit was to bring to fruition the General (Kim Jong Il)’s March 4th decree, which was handed down when he conducted an onsite inspection at the Revolutionary Historical Place in Samjiyeon, Yangkang Province.”

Another source confirmed, “There was a general meeting of the Yangkang Provincial Committee of the Party and officials of the Cabinet on the 24th of last month, and the Premier gave a lecture for provincial cadres in the conference hall of the Yangkang People's Committee the next day.”

In the lecture, Premier Kim Jong Il reportedly said, “Our General’s long term plan will be realized thanks to the brilliant Captain Kim, who has inherited the Baekdu lineage.” Usage of the term, “Baekdu lineage,” is meant to publicize and justify the third-generation succession.

Invoking Mt. Baekdu once again, Premier Kim said, “The idea of the socialist, strong and prosperous state came to the genius guide, comrade Kim Jong Woon at the top of Mt. Baekdu. It is for the future of our people, which will be opened up by him.”

The source explained, “They plan to refurbish and modernize the exhibition halls and exhibits. They seem to be planning to add Kim Jong Woon related-exhibits to the Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il halls, and build several more memorial sites.”

[I've standardised the names to make it a bit – though not much – less confusing. In the original, Kim Jong Il is sometimes Kim Young Il]