N. Korea to hold parliamentary election in March

SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will hold its parliamentary election in March, its parliamentary committee said.

The Presidium of Supreme People's Assembly "will hold the 12th representatives'
election on March 8 in 2009" according to the North Korean Constitution, the
assembly committee said in a resolution adopted on Tuesday.
North Korea was expected to hold the election in 2008, when the assembly members'
five-year term expired. But the election did not take place amid rumors of leader
Kim Jong-il's ill health.
Seoul and Washington officials say Kim suffered a stroke in August and is now
recovering.
The current 687 representatives were elected in 2003.
When a new assembly is inaugurated, the representatives customarily reshuffle the
Cabinet. They also reconfirm Kim Jong-il as chairman of the National Defense
Commission, which oversees the North's 1.1-million-strong military, followed by a
military shakeup.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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