S. Korean man says purported photo of N. Korean successor his own

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean man said Wednesday the photo of a man a
Japanese television station claims to be that of the successor to North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il is, in fact, his own.
The photo, shown by Japan's Asahi TV earlier Wednesday, shows a young man wearing
sunglasses and a white T-shirt. The report said the photo, obtained exclusively,
is of Kim's third son, Jong-un, who is apparently preparing to take over the
communist regime.
A 40-year-old South Korean man, Bae Seok-bum, told Yonhap by phone the picture is
his own. It was posted on an Internet community he runs on shamanism in February
this year so Bae could show facial similarities between himself and Kim Jong-il.
"I'm speechless," Bae, a construction worker, said upon finding the photo on the
Internet. In it, Bae is shown leaning against a wooden pavilion on which a pair
of people are sitting.
Tens of members of his community agreed that the two resembled each other.
Another post showed a series of other pictures of Bae apparently on an outing.
The Seoul bureau of Asahi TV said it could not immediately confirm the accuracy
of its report.
Dozens of media outlets, including South Korean ones, have carried the snapshot
of the television report, saying the picture appeared to be that of Jong-un.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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