SEOUL: North Korea’s ailing Kim Jong-Il has named his youngest son to succeed him eventually as leader of the communist state, which appears to be preparing another volley of missiles, reports said today.

The North’s missile launches have defied international condemnation of its weapons programme, after it tested a nuclear bomb last week, and analysts believe Kim may be trying to bolster his authority ahead of a succession.

There has been intense speculation about who would succeed North Korea’s “Dear Leader” since he was reported to have suffered a stroke last August. Kim, now 67, is thought to have since recovered and resumed most of his duties.

South Korea’s intelligence services have received word that Kim has nominated 26-year-old Jong-Un to succeed him, a South Korean lawmaker briefed by intelligence officials said today.

Little is known about Jong-Un, but the Swiss-educated basketball fan has been described as a “chip off the old block.”

“Jong-Un is known to have the potential to become a strong, ruthless leader. He has a take-charge personality,” Cheong Seong-Chang, a North Korea expert at the Sejong Institute, told AFP.

According to reports, North Koreans are being taught new songs aimed at instilling loyalty to the next leader, addressing Jong-Un as “General Kim.” Jong-Un was born to the leader’s third wife, Ko Yong-Hi, who reportedly died of breast cancer in 2004. Jong-Un was educated at an international school in Switzerland.