hankyoreh

North Korea's legislature on Wednesday elected Transport Minister Kim Yong-il as the country's new premier, replacing Pak Pong-ju, at its plenary session, a state-run North Korean news agency reported.

The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) also tapped Kim Yong-chun, chief of general staff of the Korean People's Army, as the vice chairman of the National Defense Commission (NDC), a position which has been vacant since death of Yon Hyong-muk in October 2005, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Kim Jong-il is the NSC chairman, and the NDC has two vice chairmen.

The 62-year-old new premier has served as the land and maritime transport minister since 1994. He visited Syria in 2005 to conclude a maritime transport agreement.

The new vice NSC chairman was already an NSC member.

The session also fixed the 2007 budget, which forecast increases of 5.9 percent and 3.5 percent in revenues and expenditures from 2006, respectively, the KCNA said, without giving specific figures. North Korea experts here said the budget is estimated at US$3.09 billion.

The budget allocates 15.8 percent for military use, Deputy Premier Ro Tu-chol was quoted as reporting at the session.

Earlier, the (North) Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station reported that the 11th SPA held its fifth plenary session to handle 2006 and 2007 budgets and other state affairs with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in attendance.

Kim's previous appearance was made at the rubber-stamp legislature's third session in 2005.

The SPA convenes once or twice a year at irregular intervals.

The current members of the 637-seat SPA were elected in 2003, when according to an earlier KCNA report, 99.9 percent of all registered voters cast ballots to approve their candidates, an indication that the candidates ran uncontested.

The SPA is headed by Kim Yong-nam, the official president of the Presidium of the SPA. He also serves as the titular head of the communist state.

Seoul, April 11 (Yonhap News)