North Korea’s major media outlets have begun using the adjective “respectable” before the name of Kim Jong-il’s heir apparent, Kim Jong-un.

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station added the honorific modifier to the junior Kim’s name in a broadcast regarding his leadership Tuesday morning.

Experts note that North Korean media used the title that translates to “venerable" or "dear" in front of the late North Korean leader’s name when he was taking power in 1998. They added that the use of the adjective “respectable” for Kim Jong-un may signal the beginning of his rule.

Former independence fighters against Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula appeared on a program aired by the North’s Korean Central Television Monday night and said there is no other way than supporting Kim Jong-un.