Kim starts purge in family power struggle

North Korea's Kim Jong Il has purged some of his closest relatives after accusing them of trying to seize power, according to reports.

The purge began some months ago when Kim Jong Il put his brother-in-law Chang Song Taek under house arrest with 80 other officials and their family members. Many have reportedly been set to North Korea's Gulag.

Some diplomats believe the power struggles may be connected to the pace and scope of economic reforms. Kim Jong Il is reportedly preparing to announce political and economic changes in February when the country celebrates his birthday.

Kim Jong Il took over from his father 10 years ago and has held on to power as the economy collapsed and an estimated three million died from hunger and disease.

The regime is being supported largely with aid from China and South Korea as he has tried to trade his nuclear weapons programme with US security guarantees.

But with the re-election of President George W. Bush in the US, Kim Jong Il has little realistic chance of realising his hopes.

There are growing signs that even China is beginning to lose patience with him, with Beijing moving 60,000 troops to the border in case it needs to intervene.

A trickle of reports coming out of North Korea paint a picture of a regime in its dying days, with leading members of the ruling family at each other's throats.

Sources in South Korea said an attempt to assassinate Kim Jong Nam, Kim Jong Il's eldest son, was foiled on a visit to Austria.

Another report says that in September Kim Jong Il's sister, Kim Kyong Hee, was seriously injured in a traffic accident assumed to have been an attempt on her life.

In North Korea all members of the dynasty are considered gods but Kim Kyong Hee and her husband Chang Song Taek were the most powerful couple after Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Il, who is 62 and known to be suffering from a liver disorder from years of heavy drinking, has been under pressure to name an heir. In the world's only hereditary Communist dictatorship, his eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, would normally be named the crown prince.

Sources say a train explosion not long after the purge is being treated by Kim Jong Il as an attempt on his life, as he was on his way back from a visit to China at the time of the blast.

He has dismissed officials responsible for his safety, including the Interior Minister in charge of internal security, and ordered the confiscation of all mobile phones after it is thought one was used to trigger the explosion.

Chinese sources claim a growing flight of senior and middle-ranking officials and generals, with one report alleging that as many as 130 generals have sought refuge in China.

- INDEPENDENT