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                <p>SEOUL (AFP) – North Korea's parliament vowed on Thursday to modernise the economy and boost living standards, but failed to promote the son and heir apparent to leader Kim Jong-Il to a top post.</p>
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There had been widespread predictions legislators would endorse the appointment of Kim's youngest son Jong-Un to the all-powerful National Defence Commission (NDC) to bolster his credentials as leader-in-waiting.</p>
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The official KCNA news agency announced one demotion from the NDC, which is chaired by the senior Kim, and the appointment of a replacement.</p>
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But state media made no reference at all to Jong-Un in its reports of the meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly.</p>
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The Swiss-educated Jong-Un -- believed in his late 20s -- was little known internationally until last September, when his father made him a four-star general and appointed him to powerful posts in the ruling communist party.</p>
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Those appointments effectively confirmed Jong-Un's status as eventual successor to his ailing father.</p>
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Since then he has been at the leader's side on a variety of "field guidance" tours around the impoverished but nuclear-armed nation.</p>
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The elder Kim, now 69, suffered a stroke in August 2008 and has since apparently been speeding up plans for a second dynastic succession.</p>
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But he appeared to judge it premature to appoint his son to the top ruling body, although the North has sometimes announced appointments a day or two after political meetings end.</p>
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"If Kim Jong-Un was not promoted today, this means that North Korea appears to be waiting for the proper time," said Kim Yong-Hyun, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.</p>
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"Due to unfavourable economic, political and diplomatic conditions, it appears to be delaying the process," professor Kim told AFP.</p>
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"Kim Jong-Un may have felt an enormous burden if he were now endowed with full power, given a difficult situation economically and diplomatically. The timing is not so good."</p>
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The regime is trying to ease persistent food shortages and revive the crumbling state-directed economy. United Nations food agencies say more than six million people -- a quarter of the population -- urgently need food aid.</p>
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But cross-border and international tensions have hampered assistance.</p>
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Relations with South Korea have been icy since Seoul accused its neighbour of sinking a warship in March 2010 with the loss of 46 lives.</p>
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The North denies involvement in the sinking but last November shelled a border island, killing four people and briefly raising fears of war.</p>
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Six-party talks on scrapping the North's nuclear programme have been stalled for more than two years.</p>
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KCNA said Jon Pyong-Ho was recalled from the NDC due to his transfer to another post and Pak To-Chun was elected to fill the vacancy.
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In other appointments, Ri Myong-Su, a close confidant of the leader, was appointed minister of people's security. "This indicates North Korea may strengthen control over its people," professor Kim said.
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Ri Thae-Nam was sacked as a vice-premier for what were termed health reasons, although Kim said this could be related to economic woes.
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The legislators -- who meet once or twice a year to rubber-stamp the decisions of Kim's regime -- focused on its goal of becoming "a great, powerful and prosperous nation" by 2012.
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The year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of late founding president Kim Il-Sung.
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Premier Choe Yong-Rim stressed the need to "remarkably increase" production of consumer goods and meet grain harvest targets "to bring about decisive turn in improving the standard of people's living", KCNA said.
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Vice-premier and finance minister Pak Su-Gil promised "huge funds" this year to develop light industry, agriculture and other sectors, with 15.8 percent of the budget spent on defence -- a similar sum to 2010.
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Legislators unanimously approved the budget and work plan, and pledged to increase the nation's political and military power "in every way" and boost living standards.</p>
            </div></div><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a class="rssreadon" rel="external" title="N. Korea MPs endorse plan to revive economy" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110407/wl_asia_afp/nkoreapoliticssuccession_20110407153544" target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110407/wl_asia_afp/nkoreapoliticssuccession_20110407153544</a></p>