North Korea's de-facto ruler, the reclusive Kim Jong-il, was elected general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea yesterday, completing the communist world's first dynastic succession.
A communique issued by North Korea's official media announced: "The WPK Central Committee and Central Military Commission solemnly declare that Comrade Kim Jong-il has been officially elected to be general secretary of our party." Mr Kim, son of North Korea's founding father, "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung, has run the Stalinist state without the formal trappings of power since his father's death in July 1994.
He has had to contend with famine among North Korea's 24 million people because of two consecutive years of record floods followed by a drought.
North Korea has so far given no indication if Mr Kim (55) will take over as state president, a post held by his father.
"Ever since the death of his father he has had the only title that means anything and that is the title of leader," said a Western analyst in Seoul.
"The presidency in any communist system is primarily a protocol post. It's long been rumoured Kim Jong-il doesn't like to meet foreigners anyway," the analyst said.
The real significance of yesterday's announcement may be that the party machinery has cranked up after being in virtual hibernation since the elder Kim's death.
"The party has not been functioning," one diplomat in Seoul said. "They haven't had a formal party conference since 1980 and the central committee has probably not met since Kim Il-sung's death in 1994."
The official media had reported in the run-up to yesterday's announcement that residents of the famine-stricken country were awe-struck by "mysterious phenomena", such as the sudden flowering of fruit trees in the countryside.
When fishermen in a coastal town caught a rare, white sea cucumber, it was declared a sign from heaven that Mr Kim was meant to be general secretary, the official news agency said.
"To the outside world, it is a comedy," said South Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr Kyu Hyung Lee. "But the people [of North Korea] want to have a mystical or mysterious aura to it, to give more respect and royalty to their leader."
Mr Kim's investiture means the North has an official leader for the first time since massive food shortages began and at a time when Pyongyang has taken the first small steps toward a peace conference ending the 1950-53 Korean war. Talks in New York involving China, the United States and the two Koreas broke down last month over Pyongyang's demand for food aid as a condition for the talks.
Mr Kyu said Seoul was not expecting any big policy changes from Mr Kim. "I'm not sure if it means it will be easier to deal with North Korea, but we can have a more responsible government by having him as general secretary of the party," he said.
Nevertheless, South Korea said the formal appointment was an opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations.
"We expect that North Korea will take this as an opportunity to perform a constructive role in building a firm peace structure on the Korean peninsula and making practical improvements in inter-Korean relations," a statement from the Ministry of National Unification said.
"We also hope that North Korea will make stable changes by joining in the historical worldwide tide of reconciliation and co-operation and take big steps with us toward peaceful reunification of our country."