'Great leaders'

Yang Hyong Sop, a senior official in the country's ruling party, told the Associated Press news agency on Friday that North Koreans will be honoured to follow Kim Jong-un.

"Our people take pride in the fact that they are blessed with great leaders from generation to generation," Yang said."Our people are honoured to be led by the great president Kim Il-sung and the great general Kim Jong-il. Now we also have the honour of being led by General Kim Jong-un."

Mike Chinoy, an expert on Korea, told Al Jazeera the transition process "is still in its early stages".

"I think at this stage, despite all the speculation to the contrary, my sense is that the transition is proceeding relatively smoothly," he said.

"I think that the big question is how long will Kim Jong-il stay healthy and stay alive because the longer he does so the better the chances of his son consolidating power and ruling in an effective way."

Kim Jong-il announced his youngest known son's appointment to two important political posts late last month in what was regarded as the first step in his succession plan.

The senior Kim came to power when his father died of heart failure in 1994, setting in motion the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power.

He was officially chosen as successor in 1972, when he was elected to the party's central committee, and the same scenario could hold true for his son.

The question of who will take over from the elder Kim, believed to suffer from a host of ailments, is important to regional dynamics as well as security, because of North Korea's active nuclear and missile programmes, and regular threats it makes against rival South Korea.

Kim Jong-il rules under the songun (military-first) policy with a 1.2 million-member armed services.