The eldest brother of North Korea's new leader says reforms needed to avert the collapse of the country's economy will lead to the end of its Stalinist regime, according to a book to be published this week.
Kim Jong-Nam, the half brother of Kim Jong-Un who took control of the hermit state on the death of their father last month, says the military has become so powerful it will step in and take over.
"My father governed the country with the backing of the military, but the power of the military has become too strong," he said in Korean. "If the succession ends in failure, the military will wield the real power for sure."
He also claimed that his inexperienced brother Jong-Un was likely to be merely a symbol used by ruling elites to maintain their grip on power.
"Anyone with normal thinking would find it difficult to tolerate three generations of hereditary succession," he said an email, which Gomi says was sent on January 3. "I question how a young heir with two years (of training as a successor) would be able to inherit... absolute power," he said.
