N.Korean Poster Seems to Confirm Succession

A poster has been spotted in North Korea hinting at progress in the succession question. It indicates that the name of the third son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il might be more accurately transliterated "Jong-eun," not "Jong-un."

MBC on Thursday showed images of a propaganda poster taken near Wonsan by a Taiwanese photographer on a recent visit to the country. The poster read, "Kim Jong-eun, a young leader who succeeds the lineage of Mangyongdae and Mt. Baekdu," along with the full lyrics of a song related to the succession. MBC said the image shot was taken at a collective farm near Wonsan open to visits by foreigners on Sept. 19.

Mangyongdae is the birthplace of Kim Il-sung, and Mt. Baekdu the alleged birthplace of Kim Jong-il.

National Intelligence Service director Won Sei-hoon, at a meeting of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, said, "We've had reports that the name of Kim's third son was Kim Jong-eun for quite some time. We did not disclose it because it's not something that North Korea would confirm for us, and whether he is Jong-un or Jong-eun wasn't an important issue."