The worst kept secret in North Korea is supposedly official now:

Word out of Pyongyang indicates that Kim Jong-il’s third son Jong-un has been officially designated the next North Korean leader. Several intelligence sources say that the designation of the successor was passed down to North Korea’s Workers’ Party, Supreme People’s Assembly and military right after the North carried out a nuclear test last week.

There are reports that high-level officials in North Korea had been confidentially notified of the decision, but this is the first time the news was delivered to mid-level apparatchiks. Kim Jong-il apparently made the choice early this year.  [Chosun Ilbo]