Little is known about the man widely expected to be the next leader of secretive North Korea. In a landmark meeting of the communist countries only political party it is reported that the issue of the leadership will be discussed, with youngest son of leader Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un rumored to be next in line.
State-run media will cover the event, but prior to the party meeting a small mention of Un was seen in the North Korean papers, that he had been promoted to the rank of General. Little else is known about Un, except that he was educated in Bern, Switzerland in an elite school. There are only two photos of him readily available, and he is kept largely off the radar in North Korea. No childhood photos of him are in circulation, not any from his time abroad. He is believed to be 27 or 28 years old.
If Un is next in line, he stands to take over from his ailing father Kim Jung Il, “Dear Leader,” who in turn took over from his father Kim Il Sung in 1994, who styled himself as the “Great Leader.”
Kim Jung Il served a twenty year apprenticeship besides his father before assuming power, and it is thought Un is being likewise groomed to take the reigns once his father dies.
There is not likely to be any tussles for power within the party, with analysts predicting that when the time comes, power will be transferred with little, if any, political unrest.
