Time Magazine says North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has apparently designated his third son, Jong-un, as his successor.

The internet edition of the U.S. weekly made the projection based on a book written by Kim’s personal chef in Pyongyang, Kenji Fujimoto, and the fact that Jong-un was named to the country's all-powerful National Defense Commission in late April.

The report said Kim Jong-il has been making preparations for succession ever since he suffered a stroke last autumn. The weekly said that since Kim became ill, Pyongyang has effectively been run by Kim’s brother-in-law, Jang Sung-thaek.

The report said Kim Jong-il's favorite son is apparently destined to pay the price of inheritance if he becomes leader of one of the world's most impoverished, insular and repressive regimes.