Kim Death May Intensify N. Korea Debate in South’s Elections

Kim Jong Il’s death may intensify voter focus in South Korean presidential and legislative election campaigns on policy toward a nuclear-armed neighbor now undergoing its first political transition since 1994.

Voting for the South’s 299-member National Assembly takes place in April, followed by a presidential election in December. The victory of Independent candidate Park Won Soon in the Seoul mayoral race in October has already boosted the opposition.