PYONGYANG, North Korea, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Kim Jong Il, the North Korean "Dear Leader" who inherited his position from his father, appears to be preparing to designate his youngest son as his heir.
Kim Jong Un is little known, The Times of London reported. But he appears to be a more likely successor than his two older brothers.
Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, cited sources in Beijing who said Kim Jong Un has registered to run in the March election for the National People's Assembly.
"Kim Jong Un will be formally nominated as successor after the elections," one source said. "He is expected to take on key party and military posts in April."
Kim Jong Il's oldest son, Jong Nam, is known as an enthusiastic gambler sometimes seen at casinos in Macao. He was the son of Kim Jong Il's first wife.
Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese chef who knew both younger sons when he worked as Kim Jong Il's sushi chef, told the Times that Kim Jong Un was always more of a leader.
"The older brother, Jong Chul, had the warm heart of a girl," he said. "The younger prince, Jong Un, was a boy of inner strength."
Both sons were sent to a Swiss boarding school and lived a life of luxury removed from the grim lives of most North Koreans, the report said.
