North Korea’s Kim Names Third Son as Successor

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has formally declared his third son Kim Jong Un as his successor. Jong Un, aged 26, was born in Japan and studied in Switzerland under a pseudonym.

Kim Jong-il, 67, suffered a stroke at the end of last year and has been incapacitated ever since. It is believed that North Korea’s parliament and cabinet were notified of the succession soon after the country’s second nuclear test. Outside the upper ranks of the Pyongyang elite, there is little known about Kim Jong Un. The only photograph of Kim available to the outside world is a snapshot taken by his former chef, Kenji Fujimoto, taken when Jong Un was 11-years-old. According to Fujimoto, Kim has some traits in common with his father. He says:

The first time I met him he was seven years old, and he looked at me as if I was an evil Japanese who had done terrible things to Koreans in the war.I was impressed that even as a young boy he tried to analyse people he met. If power is to be handed over then Jong Un is the best for it. He has superb physical gifts, is a big drinker and never admits defeat.

Jong-Un was born to the third wife of Kim Jong il , Ko Yong-Hi, who reportedly died in 2004. Kim is nominated ahead of his two elder brothers. Technically, North Korea is still ruled by Kim Il-sung, Jong il's father who died in 1994. Kim Jong-il's rule is based on the idea that he is a physical incarnation of his father.