Seoul - North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has, according to South Korean media reports, named the youngest of his three sons as his successor.

Kim issued an order on January 8 to the leadership of the communist Workers' Party that Kim Jong Un should take his place, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Thursday, citing intelligence reports.

The decision to name Jong Un, believed to be around 25 years old, came earlier than expected amid reports of the worsening of Kim's health.

The South Korean Ministry of Unification, which is responsible for dealing with North Korea, would not confirm the reports.

Kim's repeated absences in the past year from official events fuelled speculation about his health as well as raising questions about the succession to power in the secretive communist state.

Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in August, and following two months of silence, North Korean officials began publishing pictures of the eccentric leader attending public events to prove that he was alive.

South Korean media have reported that Kim repeatedly forbade public discussion of the succession issue.

Jong Un is the son of Kim's third wife, Ko Yong Hi, and is little known. Ko died in 2004 of breast cancer, according to media reports. Jong Un was previously considered too young to be a likely successor.

South Korean intelligence reports suggested that North Korean political circles were surprised at the decision. (dpa)