韩国媒体报导说，北韩领导人金正日已经指定他的第三个、也是最小的儿子做接班人。报导援引一名情报消息人士的话说，金正日大约一星期前选定金正云，并下达指示，让金正云进入执政的劳动党的领导层。金正云的年龄在25岁左右，是金正日第三个妻子高英姬所生。
但另有报导说，金正日年近40的长子金正男准备担任名义上的领导人。长期以来，金正男一直被看做金正日接班人的首选，直到2001年他被发现试图持假护照进入日本。据说，金正男告诉日本当局，他想去东京的迪斯尼乐园。
South Korean news reports say North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has designated his third and youngest son as his successor.The reports quote an intelligence source (who is not identified) as saying the senior Mr. Kim chose Kim Jong Un and sent a directive promoting him to the leadership of the country’s ruling Workers’ Party about a week ago. Mr. Kim’s youngest son is in his mid-20s and is the offspring of Kim Jong Il’s third wife, Ko Yong Hi.
However, another report says Mr. Kim’s eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, who is in his late 30s, is poised to step in as a figurehead. Kim Jong Nam was long considered a favorite to succeed his father, until he was caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport in 2001. He is said to have told Japanese authorities that he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.