The 68 year old leader of Stalinist North Korea, Kim Jong Il, has promoted his youngest son, Kim Jong Eun to a 4 star general position in the North Korean government. The move comes as Kim Jong Il battles a laundry list of health issues, ranging from possible dementia, to depression, diabetes, and heart disease.

At only 26 or 27 years old, many speculated that Kim Jong Eun may not yet be ready to take on a leadership role quite yet, but the promotion to general certainly puts him in a position to take over the nation should his father need him too. The question many experts wonder however, is if something were to happen to Kim Jong Il, would the transition process be smooth, or could the family dynasty fall apart?

There is little known about the character of Kim Jong Eun, who insiders have said reminds them of his father in many ways. Most people feel that when the leadership change does occur, the style of leadership may in fact be similar to that of his father’s, an oppressive, and secret regime.