Kim Jong Chol Reported Sidelined as Successor

Today’s WTF News  comes courtesy of the Donga Ilbo, which reports that Kim Jong Chol, previously named as the likely heir to Kim Jong Il, has been sidelined in the succession struggle.

Kim Jong Chul (photo), the 25-year-old second son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his most likely heir, is reportedly suffering from a medical hormone problem, and there is speculation that he may have lost his spot in the country’s succession hierarchy.

. . . .

Professor Lim Seung-gil of the Yonsei University College medical school’s Department of Internal Medicine says people who suffer from the kind of hormonal secretion problem Jong Chul is suffering from secrete an excessive amount of female hormones.

Previous reports indicated that The Porcine One had expressed disgust that his son was too much “like a girl” (my full Kim Jong Chol killer file here), and all of the chatter has apparently been grating on Kim Jong Il’s nerves.  For all the levity with which we are treating this, the Boys in the Band are quite serious about it:

Last year, Japanese media outlets reported that Korea and the U.S. have been working to verify Jong Chul’s condition and that the Korean government has proof that he was treated in Europe.

As always, treat any report on North Korean Kremlinology with extreme caution, that that does double for a medical diagnosis based on hearsay. Occam’s Razor is still in effect.
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Update, February 2014: I edited out some speculative commentary on Kim Jong Chol’s sexuality that seemed, in retrospect, to be in poor taste.