TONY EASTLEY: He's been promoted up the military chain of command, he's been re-christened "Brilliant Comrade", and now he's had a song of praise written about him.
Analysts say evidence is growing that 26-year-old Kim Jong-un has been tapped on the shoulder to replace his ailing father, the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-il.
Visitors returning to Japan from the secretive Stalinist state say North Koreans are being encouraged to sing the new song of praise for Kim Jong-un, just as they did for his father and grandfather.
North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy, reports from Tokyo.
(Sound of song, Footsteps)
MARK WILLACY: It's unlikely to shoot up the music charts any time soon, but Pal Keol Um or Footsteps is the latest hot hit in North Korea. The song lauds "General Kim", suggesting his footsteps make even the mountains and rivers happy.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is usually lionised as "Dear Leader" or "Supreme Commander", so it's thought that the "General Kim" in this song is the dictator's third son and reported successor Kim Jong-un.
(Sound of North Korean news)
The new song even got a plug on state-run North Korean TV news and a delegation from the Japan - North Korea Friendship Association, which has just returned from a visit to the hermit kingdom, reported that it heard people humming and singing the song on farms and in factories.
Even members of North Korea's triumphant soccer team which recently qualified for next year's soccer World Cup think it's a catchy tune.
(Sound of North Korean soccer team member speaking)
"We sang Footsteps with deep emotion," says this team member. "It inspired us to win," he says.
This sudden adulation for Kim Jong-un should come as no surprise; for decades North Koreans have been compelled to learn songs of praise written for his father Kim Jong-il and his grandfather Kim il-Sung.
But North Korea expert Professor Toshimitsu Shigemura from Tokyo's Waseda University says most people inside the closed communist state have still got a lot to learn about the man said to be next in line.
TOSHIMITSU SHIGEMURA: Inside North Korea, the newspaper or the media did not mention about the name of the son but they only mention about successor will come, or successor will be one which is son.
MARK WILLACY: And that son looks like being 26-year-old Kim Jong-un. So what's known about him? Well, not a lot, except he was educated in Switzerland where he learned English, German and French.
He's reportedly a basketball fan who idolises Michael Jordan, and whose favourite actor is action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. Jong-un is also said to be identical to his father in both looks and temperament, meaning he's slightly overweight and is suffering from diabetes.
But what isn't known, is whether or not he loves his new song.
(Sound of song Footsteps)
This is Mark Willacy in Tokyo for AM.
TONY EASTLEY: (Hums tune to song) Oh sorry.
The full story...
North Koreans sing praises of dynastic dictatorship
Mark Willacy reported this story on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 08:24:00
