North Korea's Kim Jong Il Promotes Son to the Rank of General

SEOUL, South Korea Sept. 27, 2010— -- North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il moved to extend the family dynasty today by promoting his young son to the rank of general, and likely putting him in line to inherit power in the nuclear armed country.

Kim Jong Un, who is believed to be 27 or 28, was given the military title of "dae-jang," which translates to the rank of general, according to the official North Korean news agency.

The newly minted general is the third son of the country's dictator and it has been speculated in recent months that Kim Jong Il has settled Kim Jong Un to take his place upon his death.

North Korea is notoriously secretive about its hierarchy and today's announcement was the first time that the country's official news agency has mentioned the son.

Kim Jong Il also gave his sister, Kim Kyung Hee, a similar rank. Kim Kyung Hee is believed to be a strong supporter of Jong Un.

With the aging leader getting increasingly frail, there has been intense interest in who is likely to succeed him as the head of a country with a nuclear stockpile.

"Kim Jong Il must have tested his (three) sons and finally decided the third son is best suited. They've been consistently and carefully preparing for this debut for quite some time," said Chul Ki Ju, professor of international studies at Seoul National University told ABC News recently.

Focus has been on Jong Un as the likely successor, but little is known about him.

"No one knows what he looks like, but it is certain that he indeed exists and is slated to be the next leader," said Tae-Gyun Park, professor of international studies at Seoul National University.

The young Kim is not only mysterious to the world, but also to the North Korean people. Eyewitnesses and sources close to North Korea say only recently have the party officials started to openly talk about the "brilliant comrade."