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North Korea’s controversial leader Kim Jong Il may be stepping down in the near future. The ruling Workers Party has set up their first party conference in 30 years next Tuesday. At the 1980 Party congress Kim Jong Il made his first major political appearance, setting the stage for him to succeed his father Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founding leader. Next week, Kim Jong Il’s son, Kim Jong Un is being readied for a similar succession to the leadership. The ruling Communist Party gave no official reason for setting the date for next week’s convention. Some news media are reporting of an on-going internal party debate over the political appointment of Kim Jong Il’s son. A Japanese analyst has been reported as speculating that the leader’s sister Kim Kyung-hee may be jockeying to succeed him. Meanwhile, the US this week asked North Korea to return to the so-called “six-party” talks and live up to the promises it made in 2005 to give up its nuclear program. Last year North Korea abandoned talks and accused the US of hostility. It wants to be recognized as a nuclear state. The US has responded by ramping up sanctions against North Korea.

GUEST: John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, and author of North Korea/South Korea: U.S. Policy & the Korean Peninsula