Childhood photo of N. Korean leader's son unveiled amid succession rumors

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- A childhood photo of Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was released by a South Korean broadcaster on
Thursday, the first picture to be made public of someone believed to have been
tapped as his father's successor.
The photo, taken when Jong-un was 11 years old, was given to KBS by Kenji
Fujimoto, a former Japanese sushi chef for the North Korean leader, the
broadcaster said.
Unlike his two older brothers, no images of Kim Jong-un have been captured by
foreign media. He was reportedly born to Kim's third wife Ko Yong-hi in Pyongyang
in 1984 and educated in Switzerland.
Intelligence sources told Yonhap last month that the North Korean leader, driven
by concerns over his health following a stroke in August, designated the third
and youngest son as his successor.
The photo shows the boy with a short haircut and a faint smile.
Fujimoto said in an interview with KBS that Jong-un gave him the photo when he
left North Korea in 2001, asking it not be made public. The former chef served
Kim Jong-il for 13 years until his departure.
"He (Jong-un) said he can't give his recent photo," Fujimoto said.
The former chef recalled Jong-un as "young, but full of insight and the power of
action befitting a future leader."
But Fujimoto also said Jong-un will have to have the support of Jang Song-thaek,
the current leader's brother-in-law and reportedly second in power, to succeed
his father.
Kim Jong-il, turning 67 next week, took over after his father and North Korean
founder Kim Il-sung died in 1994.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)