Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong-un | featured news

North Korea announced on Saturday it has appointed Kim Jong-un, the anointed successor and youngest son of Kim Jong-il, as supreme commander of its 1.2 million-strong military, two days after official mourning for the late leader ended.

North Korea's power brokers publicly declared Kim Jong Un the supreme leader for the first time at Thursday's massive public memorial for his father Kim Jong Il, cementing the family's hold on power for another generation....

North Korea displayed the body of ruler Kim Jong Il in a glass coffin surrounded by red flowers Tuesday, and his young heir was one of the first to pay respects -- a strong indication that a smooth leadership transition was under way.

North Korea's heir apparent Kim Jong Un has swiftly risen to power since being made a four-star general a year ago, but he is even more of an enigma than his late father was during 17 years of absolute power....

Mr. Kim had been grooming his third son, Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his late 20s, to be his successor, as his country struggled to fight widespread food shortages and international sanctions imposed for its nuclear weapons development.

North Korea's claim of a new, highly sophisticated uranium enrichment facility could be a ploy to win concessions in nuclear talks or an attempt to bolster leader Kim Jong Il's apparent heir.

Secretive North Korea's leader-in-waiting, the youngest son of ailing ruler Kim Jong-il, took center stage during a massive military parade on Sunday, appearing live for the first time in public.

North Korea's increasingly reclusive leader, Kim Jong Il, put in a rare appearance at Arirang celebrations in Pyongyang Saturday, along with his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.

Youth is not considered an asset in the nation, where mandatory lectures have billed Kim Jong Eun, Kim Jong Il's twentysomething son, as a political breath of air. In a region where Confucian thinking about seniority still holds sway, where political life generally begins at 50, it isn’t easy to sell the public on a twentysomething who has never held a real job.

The Sept. 28 meeting could signal the formal designation of Kim Jong-il’s youngest son as his heir apparent.