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Kim Jong Il's Other Son Down on Succession

But will support his brother from afar

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 12, 2010 9:12 AM CDT

(Newser) – Kim Jong Nam, the wayward eldest son of Kim Jong Il, isn't keen on half-brother Kim Jong Un becoming North Korea’s next ruler. But not because of why you'd think: “Personally, I am opposed to the hereditary transfer to a third generation of the family,” the elder son told Japanese TV this weekend, according to the Daily Telegraph. “I think it was my father who made the decision. As I have no interest in the matter, I don’t care at all.”

But Kim added that he was “prepared to help my younger brother whenever necessary while I stay abroad,” and expressed hope that the younger Kim would improve the lives of the North Korean people. Kim Jong Nam was once considered his dad’s inevitable heir, but they’ve been estranged ever since he was caught entering Japan with a false passport, reportedly to visit Tokyo Disneyland with his family.

A man believed to be Kim Jong Nam, eldest son of Kim Jong Il, walks out of a police van before boarding an airplane bound for Beijing at Narita International Airport in Japan, May 4, 2001. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

Kim Jong Nam, eldest son of Kim Jong Il, waves after his first-ever interview with South Korean media in Macau, China, June 4, 2010. (AP Photo/JoongAng Sunday via JoongAng Ilbo, Shin In-seop)

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Kim Jong Il's Other Son Down on Succession

But will support his brother from afar

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North Korea • Kim Jong Il • succession • Kim Jong Nam • Kim Jong Un

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