(CNN) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's eldest son is against his family holding power in the reclusive communist nation for another generation.
"Personally I oppose the hereditary succession for three generations," Kim Jong Nam told Japan's TV Asahi in an interview that aired Tuesday. "But I presume there were internal reasons. We should abide by such reasons if there are any".
Kim's comments were the first since his younger half-brother Kim Jong Un was promoted to the rank of four-star general just before a rare meeting of the country's ruling party this month. The announcement was the first formal mention of his name in official state communications. He was also named vice chairman of the Workers Party of Korea's central military commission.
The United States anticipates that Kim Jong Un will succeed his ailing father, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week.
CNN
