Kim Jong Il's 3 Sons: Are Any Fit for Power?

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

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 19, 2009 5:46 PM CDT

(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.

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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... (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. (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. (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. (AP Photo/Kyodo, File)

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

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Kim Jong Il's 3 Sons: Are Any Fit for Power?