N. Korean leader names third son as successor: sources

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SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has recently
designated his third son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor and delivered a directive
on the nomination to the Workers' Party leadership, sources well-informed on
North Korea said Thursday.

The elder Kim has made the decision earlier than expected, driven by his poor
health condition after suffering a stroke last August, multiple sources said. Kim
turns 67 next month.
If actualized, the junior Kim's succession would be the second father-to-son
power transfer in the communist country, unprecedented in modern history.
Kim "delivered a directive around Jan. 8 that he has named Jong-un as his
successor to the leadership of the Workers' Party," one of the sources told
Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity.
Jong-un, now 25, was born to Kim's third wife, Ko Yong-hi, who died of breast
cancer at the age of 51 in 2004. The youngest of Kim's three sons, Jong-un was
educated at the International School of Berne and is known to be a fan of NBA
basketball. After his return to Pyongyang in his late teens, the North has kept
him shrouded, and very little is known about his character.
Kim Jong-il was 32 when he was tapped as successor by his father and the nation's
founder Kim Il-sung in a general meeting of the Workers' Party in February 1974.
Kim has a history of diabetes and heart disease.
Jong-un's nomination was completely unexpected in the North, even among party
leaders, multiple sources said.
"The sudden nomination caught even senior members of the leadership by surprise,"
another source said.
The elder Kim is known to have shunned talks of power transfer, worried that the
communist country would be subjected to mockery and that he would immediately
become a lame duck.
The sources said Kim's health conditions changed his mind. North Korean media has
portrayed the leader as healthy and active in recent weeks, reporting on his
visits to factories and military units and releasing photographs. But sources say
he has remained mentally feeble ever since the stroke.
Observers have said Kim favored his youngest son most. In his bestselling memoir
"I Was Kim Jong Il's Cook," Kenji Fujimoto, a former Japanese sushi chef for the
North Korean leader, said Kim thought of his second son, Jong-chol, as too
feminine and unfit for leadership and mostly had Jong-un sit next to him.
Kim's first son, Jong-nam, is frowned upon due to his Western liberal lifestyle
and was not interested in assuming power, they said.
Jong-un refrained from socializing in Berne, spending most of his time outside of
school at home, according to the wishes of his father, who did not want him to be
influenced by the West. When he ate out, he was accompanied by Ri Chol, the North
Korean ambassador to Switzerland who is known to be the manager of Kim Jong-il's
secret funds, sources said.
The youngest son is said to be 175 centimeters tall and weigh about 90kg due to a
lack of exercise. He reportedly already has high blood pressure and diabetes.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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