The eldest son of North Korea leader Kim Jong-il — once tipped to succeed him before trying to sneak into Japan to go to Disneyland — says he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to his youngest half-brother.

It's the first public sign of discord in the tightly choreographed succession process, though analysts said Kim Jong-nam spends so much time outside his native land that his opinion carries little weight.

Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, waves after his first-ever interview with South Korean media in Macau, China, in June. ((JoongAng Sunday/Associated Press))

The 39-year-old Kim, the oldest of three brothers who were in the running to take over secretive North Korea, is the closest thing the country has to a playboy.

Unlike many of his countrymen back home who lack the resources and connections to travel overseas, Kim travels freely and spends much of his time in China or the country's special autonomous region of Macau — the centre of Asian gambling with its Las Vegas-style casinos.

He's often seen with an unshaven face, wearing newsboy caps, while frequenting five-star hotels and expensive restaurants. In June, he was photographed in Macau wearing blue Ferragamo loafers.

Speaking in Korean, he told Japan's TV Asahi, in an interview from Beijing aired late Monday and Tuesday, that he is "against third-generation succession," but added, "I think there were internal factors. If there were internal factors, [we] should abide by them."

"I have no regrets about it. I wasn't interested in it and I don't care," Kim said, when asked whether he is OK with the succession plan.

Kim said he hopes his brother will do his best to bring abundance to the lives of North Koreans and that he stands ready to help from abroad, according to a dubbed Japanese-language version of his remarks.

Kim Jong-un, believed to be 26, appeared with his father at Pyongyang celebrations Sunday marking the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, saluting troops marching past in a massive military parade and waving to the crowd. The appearance was less than two weeks after he was named to a top political post and promoted to four-star general.

Andrei Lankov, a Russian expert on North Korea at Seoul's Kookmin University, said Kim Jong-nam's remarks were "almost a challenge," but noted he has little influence due to the considerable time he spends abroad and lacks military support.

"I don't see them rallying to Kim Jong-nam," he added, emphasizing that key generals who run the military far prefer Kim Jong-un, who they see as young, inexperienced and thus easy to control.

Kim Jong-il is known to have three sons — one from his second wife and two from his third. He favours his youngest, Jong-un, who looks and is said to act like his father, according to the leader's former sushi chef. He studied at a Swiss school and learned to speak English, German and French, news reports have said.

In contrast, Kim often derided the middle son, Jong-chul, as "girlish," the chef, who goes by the pen name Kenji Fujimoto, said in a 2003 memoir. Little is publicly known about the brother, except that he also studied in Switzerland and is a fan of U.S. professional basketball.

Kim Jong-nam is widely believed to have fallen out of favour after embarrassing the government in 2001 by being caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport, saying he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.