kim jong-il's younger sister kim kyong hui has been named a member of the polit bureau. r husband is chosen as a member of the central military commission. the couple is expected toct as kim jong un's guardians. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.

kim jong il's younger sister, kim kyong hui, has been named as a member of the politburo and her husbandang song thaek has been chosen as a member of the central military commission and is a candidate for a plit boouro host. the couple is expected to act as kim jong un's guardians. kim jong un is to succeed his father as leader but little is known about him. even basic facts have long been shrouded in mystery. >> reporter: such things as the year of kim jong un's birth cannot be ascertained with certainty. it is widely thought that the heir apparent was born in 1983, but some experts suggest 1984 as the more likely year. in the late 1990s, kim jong un studied in switzerland for several years. at school he used the name pak un, and it is said that he identified himself as the son of the north korean ambassador to switzerland. one of his former classmates says he was polite and quick to learn the german language. kim jong un apparently enjoyed playing basketball and dreamed of becoming a professional player. kim jong un is said to have returned to pyongyang around 2000 and to have attended