NK leader's eldest says he's not interested in succession

BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's first son, Kim Jong-nam, said Saturday that his father is the sole figure that can decide on the succession of power in the communist country and he himself has no interest in becoming the country's leader.

"I myself have no interest," Kim Jong-nam, 38, said in a Beijing hotel. "That is
for my father to decide."
Sources well-informed on North Korea recently said that Kim Jong-il, apparently
driven by his poor health condition from a suspected stroke last year, has
designated his third son, Jong-un, as his successor and delivered a directive on
the nomination to the Workers' Party leadership.
Jong-nam had long been considered the favorite to succeed his father, until he
was caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport in 2001, reportedly telling
Japanese officials he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
Jong-un, now 25, was born to Kim's third wife, Ko Yong-hi, who died of breast
cancer at the age of 51 in 2004. The youngest of Kim's three sons, Jong-un was
educated at the International School of Berne. After his return to Pyongyang in
his late teens, the North has kept him under a shroud of secrecy and very little
is known about his character.
The eldest son arrived in Beijing from Pyongyang by air along with a high-level
Chinese party official, Wang Jiarui, who met with the North Korean leader in
Pyongyang on Friday, delivering a letter from Chinese President Hu Jintao.
"No one can say positively (how Kim will decide on his successor) ... only my
father will decide," Kim told reporters earlier when he arrived at an airport in
the Chinese capital. He was clad in a thick jumper, sunglasses and a cap and
answered questions in both English and Korean.
Jong-nam said that he had no information related to the report that Jong-un was
tapped as his father's successor, telling reporters that "it is not right to make
assumptions when nothing has been decided. When asked again, he told reporters to
"ask that directly to my brother."
When asked by reporters whether he holds great influence in North Korea, he said,
"that is not so." He also said that he cannot "answer such sensitive questions"
when asked if he has won the support of his uncle Jang Song-taek, Kim Jong-il's
brother-in-law.
Jong-nam is reported to have won the support of Jang, director of the
administrative department of the Workers' Party, in the competition to become the
successor.
He is also speculated to have established connections with high-profile Chinese
officials from his frequent trips to Beijing, which may contribute to the forming
of stronger ties between the communist allies.
"Don't just ask me (on the succession plan), ask Mr. Wang Jiarui too," the son
said at the airport in an apparent effort to dodge further questions.
When asked about the state of his father's health, the son, who said he was in
Beijing for personal matters, declined to comment on "such a sensitive issue."
"Please understand that I cannot disclose anything even if I have any
information," the eldest son said, underlining that it is his principle to
exercise discretion on his father's health.
He said that he plans to stay in Beijing for a couple of days for "personal
leisure" and return to North Korea in a few weeks after spending some time in a
third country, without revealing where. The son also said that he had no plans to
meet with Chinese officials during the stay.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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