A former senior official of the North Korean Workers’ Party says the party will likely take over power if North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dies.

Hwang Jang-yop said the North Korean military would unlikely assume power after Kim’s death. He made the prediction in a meeting with a lawmaker of the ruling Grand National Party early this month.

His opinion differs from that of many experts in North Korean affairs. Many North Korea pundits predict that a collective military leadership will rule the North after Kim’s death.

Hwang said the North Korean leader’s eldest son, Kim Jong-nam, is the most likely successor.

Hwang, a former Workers’ Party secretary, defected to the South in 1997. He is the highest-ranking North Korean official ever to escape to South Korea.