Kim Jong-un, the son of the present repressive ruler, is tipped to be given an official title before eventually taking over the secretive communist state.

He is the third son of the self-styled “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il, 68, who is expected to promote him to a key position in the hardline regime. Kim Jong-il is believed to be in poor health after a stroke two years ago.

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The move is expected to be confirmed after the ruling Workers’ Party announced its first convention in three decades. Delegates will meet next week in the capital Pyongyang to select their “supreme leadership body”.

Kenji Fujimoto, who says he was Kim Jong-il’s chef for more than 10 years, wrote in a memoir that it was the youngest son who was most like his father, ruthless and competitive even as a child.