http://www.smh.com.au/world/kims-youngest-son-named-successor-reports-20090602-btlo.html
Kim's youngest son named successor: reports June 2, 2009 - 12:37PM North Korea has told its diplomatic missions that Kim Jong Il's youngest son will be the nation's next leader, South Korean news reports said on Tuesday. The Hankook Ilbo reported that the communist regime sent the message right after its May 25 nuclear test and demanded diplomats pledge allegiance to Kim's 26-year-old third son, Jong Un. The mass-market Hankook cited unnamed members of South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee. The South's spy agency, National Intelligence Service, briefed lawmakers Monday on the North's move, the paper said. The Dong-a Ilbo newspaper carried a similar report, saying the North is teaching its people a song lauding the son. It cited unidentified "sources''. The spy agency said it cannot confirm the reports. The possible transfer of power comes at a tense time as the North escalates tensions in the region. Pyongyang tested a nuclear device on May 25 and has fired several short-range missiles. Media reports say that the North appears to be preparing a test launch of a long-range missile. Most analysts have long believed Kim's youngest son has the best chance of succeeding the authoritarian leader. Little is known about him except that he studied at the International School of Berne in Switzerland. Kim Jong Il's former sushi chef, Kenji Fujimoto, said in his memoir that the son looks and acts just like his father and is the leader's favourite. Who will eventually rule the nuclear-armed North has been the focus of intense media speculation since leader Kim, 67, reportedly suffered a stroke last summer. That sparked regional concerns about instability and a possible power struggle if he died without naming a successor. Leader Kim has three known sons by two women. The eldest son, Jong Nam, 38, had long been considered the favorite to succeed his father - until he was caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport in 2001. He reportedly told Japanese officials he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Kim considers the middle son, Jong Chol, too effeminate for the job, according to the sushi chef's 2003 memoir. AP
