Kim Jong-Il’s son Kim Jong-un was appointed a four-star general at North Korea’s biggest political gathering in three decades. A TV broadcast from the country also noted that Kim Jong-il had been reappointed as general secretary of the Workers Party, which can be read as an “expression of [the] absolute support and trust” the people had in him. Dr Kongdan Oh of the Brookings Institute said, “He will be the crown prince. That’s it. There is no doubt.” But she added: “The father provides a halo effect – the question is what happens when Kim Jong-il dies. That will be an interesting time.” Other analysts, however, are still uncertain whether the younger Kim will actually lead the country after his father’s death, and if so how independent he would be.