North Korea to Be Led by a 26-Year-Old?

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 16, 2009 — -- Fueling speculation over who will lead North Korea after Kim Jong Il, South Korea's Yonhap News agency reported this week that Kim had nominated his youngest son, Kim Jong-Un.

But analysts and North Korea watchers played down the report, saying it was one of many rumors that had been swirling around ever since the 66-year-old leader Kim reportedly suffered a stroke last year.

"It is essential to take a careful approach to these rumors," said Park Jung-Ran, senior researcher at Seoul National University. "Every time tension arises regarding North Korea's nuclear issue, these stories repeatedly come and go."

Until recently, the most likely scenario had been that either Kim's first son, Kim Jong-Nam, 38, or his second son, Kim Jong-Chul, 29, would succeed as the figurehead, with endorsement from senior Communist Party leaders.

Jong-Nam was born to the leader's first wife, now deceased, who had been married at the time, making him an illegitimate son. He became known to the world when he was caught with a fake Dominican passport in Japan attempting to visit Tokyo Disneyland in 2001. The second son, Jong-Chul, was seen as a plausible heir after he took an official post within the Workers' Party in 2007.

Yonhap's report came as a surprise, since the youngest son, Kim Jong-Un, is only 26 years old, and little is known about him. "He is still too young to lead North Korea. As long as Kim Jong Il is alive at this stage, he won't be able to take over nor share any sort of ruling power," said Jeung Young-Tai, senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, who closely monitors North Korea's succession matters.

The report cited an "unidentified intelligence source" saying the Workers' Party leaders were notified of this new decision around Jan. 8, and the news is rapidly spreading down to provincial organizations. Yonhap also noted that if so, North Korea would be the first country in modern history to be ruled by three generations of dictators.