North Korea's Kim chooses third son as next supreme leader
North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-il nominates third and youngest son as successor and heir
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Tuesday, 02, Jun 2009 10:56
North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-il has nominated his third and youngest son as his successor and heir.
South Korean politicians told local media they had been informed by their country's spy agency that Kim Jong-un was now officially deigned to succeed his father.
Park Jie-won, a member of the opposition Democratic party and national assembly's information and intelligence committee said: "I was notified by the South Korean government of such moves and the loyal pledges."
Kim's succession has been a hotly debated subject since the 67-year-old reportedly suffered a stroke last summer. He inherited power from his father when Kim Il-sung died in 1994.
His apparent favour of Jong-un, 25, was signalled when he was appeared on the ballot paper for Pyongyang's parliament earlier this year and later appointed to a mid-level position in the country's military.
Next to nothing is known of Jong-un other than that his mother Ko Young-hee, one of his father's consorts, died in 2004, probably from breast cancer.
He is understood to have attended university in Switzerland and speaks fluent German, but no official photos of him have been released.
According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Jong-un has already received loyalty pledges from senior figures in the North Korean military.
Pyongyang's belligerent behaviour in recent months, which culminated in an underground nuclear test in May, has been seen as Kim's attempt to consolidate his powerbase to justify his succession.
Jong-un has also reportedly been credited with the nuclear test, which drew universal international criticism and was followed by a series of short-range missile launches by the north.
A long-range missile test is expected in the coming days, while the United Nations security council is due to unveil a new raft of sanctions against the reclusive Communist state.