Playboy son of NKorea leader raps succession plan

[October 12, 2010]  BEIJING (AP) -- The casino-loving eldest son of North Korea's Kim Jong Il -- once tipped to succeed him before trying to sneak into Japan to go to Disneyland -- says he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to his younger half-brother.

While his disapproval is unsurprising, it's the first public sign of discord in the tightly choreographed succession process, though analysts said Kim Jong Nam has lived outside his native land for so long his opinion will carry little weight.

The chubby 39-year-old Kim, the oldest of three brothers who were in the running to take over secretive North Korea, is the closest thing the country has to a playboy.

Unlike many of his countrymen back home who lack the resources and connections to travel overseas, Kim Jong Nam travels freely and spends much of his time in China or the country's special autonomous region of Macau -- the center of Asian gambling with its Las Vegas-style casinos.

He sports the family pot belly and favors newsboy caps, designer shoes and an unshaven face, while frequenting five-star hotels and expensive restaurants.

He told Japan's TV Asahi, in an interview from Beijing aired late Monday and Tuesday, that he is "against third-generation succession, but I think there were internal factors. If there were internal factors, (we) should abide by them."

Kim added that he hopes his brother will do his best to bring abundance to the lives of North Koreans and that he stands ready to help from abroad, according to a dubbed Japanese-language version of his remarks.

Andrei Lankov, a Russian expert on North Korea at Seoul's Kookmin University, said Kim Jong Nam's remarks were "almost a challenge," but noted he has little influence due to the considerable time he spends abroad and lacks military support.

"I don't see them rallying to Kim Jong Nam," he added, emphasizing that key generals who run the military far prefer Kim Jong Un, who they see as young, inexperienced and thus easy to control.

Kim Jong Un, believed to be 26, appeared with his father at Pyongyang celebrations on Sunday marking the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, saluting troops marching past in a massive military parade and waving to the crowd. The appearance was less than two weeks after he was named to a top political post and promoted to four-star general.

Kim Jong Nam is widely believed to have fallen out of favor as a possible successor after embarrassing the government in 2001 by being caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport, saying he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Little is publicly known about middle brother Kim Jong Chol, except that he studied in Switzerland and is a fan of U.S. professional basketball.

[Associated Press; By ANITA CHANG]

Associated Press writers Kelly Olsen and Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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