New photo of North Korea's heir apparent Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un is seen seated among a group of senior North Korean leaders, including his fatherNorth Korean state media has released a photograph which appears to show the country's heir apparent Kim Jong-un.Rapid rise
The official photograph was published on the front page of a state-controlled North Korean newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun.
It showed 200 officials at the Workers' Party convention. Seated in the front row, just two seats along from his father, is the pudgy-faced youth.
Although the caption did not identify him, state media reported that Kim Jong-Un had attended the photo session.
Previously only grainy images from his childhood have been seen in the West.
The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says the family likeness is clear, and North Koreans, seeing the photo for the first time, are unlikely to miss the significance.
Kim Jong-un is Kim Jong-il's third son and had already been identified as the most likely successor to the Communist dynasty started by his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, in 1948.
Our correspondent says his rise is remarkable, even by the standards of one of the world's most totalitarian states.
He says there can now be little doubt that Swiss-educated Kim Jong-un has been chosen to eventually take over from his ailing father, who is thought to have had a stroke in 2008.
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