Kim Jong Il's eldest son not interested

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MACAU, China, June 9 (UPI) -- The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il says he's not interested in leading the country as his father's successor.

Kim Jong Nam told Japan's TV Asahi in Macau that he doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps and has no interest at all in politics, CNN reported Tuesday.

"Personally, I am not interested in this issue (succession)," he reportedly told the Japanese broadcaster. "Sorry, I am not interested in the politics."

Kim Jong Il was widely reported to have suffered a stroke last year. In April, he sparked speculation that a succession process in underway in the secretive Communist nation by naming the youngest of his three sons, Kim Jong Un, to the country's powerful National Defense Commission, along with his brother-in-law who presumably would act as a regent until the youngest Kim comes of age, CNN said.

"I hear that news in the media," Kim Jong Nam told TV Asahi. "I think it's true … however, it is my father's decision. So once he decides, we have to support him."