N.Korean mass parade to mark rise of Kim's son

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il made a rare public appearance with his son and heir-apparent Kim Jong-Un at a celebration for the 65th anniversary of the country's ruling communist party Saturday.The joint appearance at the "Arirang" mass games at a stadium in Pyongyang prompted cheers from the tens of thousands of North Koreans present, and tears of emotion from some, television pictures showed.A Chinese delegation also attended, led by senior communist party member Zhou Yongkang, and met Kim Jong-Un, China's official Xinhua news agency said.

North Korea published its first adult photograph of the youngest son and heir apparent to leader Kim Jong-Il on Thursday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.A group photo released by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows leading officials of the ruling party, including leader Kim, at a photo session in Pyongyang.The caption does not name the son, Jong-Un, but Yonhap said he was identified in the picture. KCNA said in a report Wednesday that Jong-Un had attended the photo session.

Aides to the youngest son and heir apparent of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il planned an attack last year on Kim's oldest son but were warned off by China, a report said Wednesday.South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper, citing a government source, said close aides of youngest son Jong-Un plotted an attack on Kim Jong-Nam after the leader had picked Jong-Un as heir apparent in January 2009.Jong-Nam has been living mainly in Beijing and the Chinese territory of Macau since falling out of favour with his father.

The eldest son of ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il said that he opposes plans for a hereditary transfer of power to his younger half-brother in the communist state, in rare comments aired on Tuesday.The views of exiled Kim Jong-Nam come as the regime has signalled plans for a dynastic succession and at a huge military parade Sunday showed the heir-apparent Kim Jong-Un in TV broadcasts to its people.

A train carrying birthday gifts for North Korea's future leader derailed this month in a possible act of revolt by the regime's opponents, a Seoul-based radio station targeting North Koreans said Monday.Open Radio for North Korea said the Pyongyang-bound train carrying gifts for Kim Jong-Un, the youngest son and heir apparent of leader Kim Jong-Il, derailed upon departing from Sinuiju, on the border with China, on December 11.It quoted a military intelligence official in the North's northwestern province of North Pyongan as saying sabotage may have caused the crash.

The eldest son of ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il said he opposes plans for a hereditary transfer of power to his younger half-brother in the communist state, in rare comments aired Tuesday.The views of exiled Kim Jong-Nam come as the regime has signalled plans for a dynastic succession, including by broadcasting images of the heir-apparent Kim Jong-Un to its people from a huge military parade on Sunday.

The eldest son of ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il said that he opposes plans for a hereditary transfer of power to his younger half-brother in the communist state, in rare comments aired on Tuesday.The views of exiled Kim Jong-Nam come as the regime has signalled plans for a dynastic succession and at a huge military parade Sunday showed the heir-apparent Kim Jong-Un in TV broadcasts to its people.