DPRK Forum

Kim Jong Nam, thought of as out of the race is rumored to be back in the race according to unconfirmed reports by the Associated Press:

SEOUL, South Korea: The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has returned home after spending years abroad in a move that could be linked to the ruler’s plans to choose an heir, a man close to Kim’s son said Monday.

Kim Jong Nam, 36, traveled from China to Pyongyang in late June, and his return “has decisive relations to the power transfer,” the man told The Associated Press by telephone from the United States. He asked not to be named, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

South Korea’s top spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, declined to confirm the son’s return.

Kim Jong Il has not yet publicly named an heir, prompting speculation abroad about who might eventually take the reclusive country’s helm — and whether Kim will designate one of his sons as the next leader, continuing the world’s only communist dynasty.

So the rumors fly again, and there is still no official word. Time will tell if he is really nerxt in line, any plans or different plans altogether. I will watch the propaganda machine and see if there are any Kim Jong nam portraits hanging around or Kim Jong Il finally announces something in the Juche Congress.

Looks like Kim Jong Nam is working in the Organization and Guidance Department of the Workers Party Of Korea:

SEOUL (AFP) - The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is back in the succession race after returning from exile overseas and taking an influential post with the ruling communist party, a report said Monday.

Kim Jong-Nam, 36, began work at the party’s organisation and guidance department after his return around June, said South Korea’s largest-circulation daily Chosun Ilbo, quoting an intelligence source.

The department is “the key agency” that controls all of the party, the military and the government, according to Chosun.

The National Intelligence Service, Seoul’s main spy agency, refused to comfirm the news report.

Of course. Kim Jong Nam was asked the question too, and of course denied it as well:

When asked about the possibility of his succession to North Korea’s leadership, he said that he had nothing to say on the matter.

Developing…