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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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Kim Jong Il's 3 Sons: Are Any Fit for Power?

Experts question grit of trio, fans of Van Damme and Eric Clapton

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(Newser) – Kim Jong Il has presided over North Korea’s closed, crooked government with an iron fist for decades. But as the Dear Leader’s health fades, anxious observers are analyzing his three heirs apparent—none of whom seem fit for the job, Evan Thomas and Suzanne Smalley write in Newsweek. Unlike Saddam Hussein’s nefarious spawn, the brothers Kim have more benign tastes: Jean-Claude Van Damme flicks, Armani, Eric Clapton, and Disneyland.

Eldest son Kim Jong Nam is considered too undisciplined, and middle son Kim Jong Chol too effeminate, so many believe control will fall to the youngest, Kim Jong Un, 26, the most mysterious of the three. Schooled in Switzerland, Jong Un at age 12 demanded that even his sister address him with his official title, “General Comrade.” But his dynastic status may not be enough to ward off a fierce power struggle once the Dear Leader is no more.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly suffered a stroke a year ago, and may be ill with cancer as well.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly suffered a stroke a year ago, and may be ill with cancer as well.   (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, Alexander Zemlianichenko, FILE)
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, center, is seen in this undated, still photograph taken at an undisclosed location, in this video released Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 by the North's official Korean Central Television. North Korea released a new batch of photographs of Kim Jong Il on Wednesday, apparently...
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, center, is seen in this undated, still photograph taken at an undisclosed location, in this video released Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 by the North's official Korean Central...   (AP Photo/KCT TV via APTN)
South Korean protesters burn portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, left, and his youngest son Kim Jong Un, right, who is believed to be Kim's successor.
South Korean protesters burn portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, left, and his youngest son Kim Jong Un, right, who is believed to be Kim's successor.   (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
South Korean conservative activists burn a portrait of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il, left, and what protesters say is a portrait of his son Kim Jong Un.
South Korean conservative activists burn a portrait of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il, left, and what protesters say is a portrait of his son Kim Jong Un.   (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
In this file photo, a man believed to be Kim Jong Nam, eldest son of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il, is all surrounded by media upon arrival from Macau.
In this file photo, a man believed to be Kim Jong Nam, eldest son of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il, is all surrounded by media upon arrival from Macau.   (AP Photo/Kyodo, File)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il claps while visiting Taedonggang Tile Factory, in North Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il claps while visiting Taedonggang Tile Factory, in North Korea.   (AP Photo/KRT via APTN)
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Jong Chol is impossible because he is too feminine. But Jong Un is exactly like me. - Kim Jong Il, on his sons,
according to his former chef

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
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5 comments
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Kookey90
Jul 19, 09 6:00 PM CDT
I hope the cancer that Kim Jong Il has is hereditary so that it wipes out the entire male side of his family – I wish them all a slow painful death for all the misery they’ve bought upon their own people. Enough said. Reply
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Deebles
Jul 19, 09 6:26 PM CDT
I guess a blow job is out of the question? Sorry--I love that line in the face of total shut down. I'm not even going to repeat the chocolate muffin recipe.
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+1
SPH
Jul 19, 09 6:40 PM CDT
Perhaps time for a coup de tat..... Anyone?.... Reply
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0
DarkFrancis
Jul 20, 09 12:46 AM CDT
Fit for power of what? If the ideology stays the same, the leadership hardly matters unless they're total nutballs...but if the ideology is nutballish anyway. And if ain't one of his sons it'll be some crispbread-shouldered kook general, or cabal of same. Reply
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+4
TerrifiedCitizen
Jul 20, 09 12:52 PM CDT
Forget the kids, when was Kim Jong Il ever fit to rule others? Reply
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