Born in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un anointed heir to father at 8 years old, say relatives

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, on Feb. 10 for a science research base, in this photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. - Yonhap via The Korea Herald/ANN

SEOUL: Born in 1984 in northeastern Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was secretly anointed as the future heir to his father, Kim Jong-il, at the age of 8, according to the statements of Kim's aunt and her husband, as detailed in a newly published book.

The book also discloses that the initiation of his hereditary succession was outwardly marked by the airing of a glorification song dedicated to him in 1992.