North Korea's ruling party will meet later this month for the first time in 30 years to discuss its future leadership.

It has been widely rumoured that leader Kim Jong-il will use this opportunity to promote his third son Kim Jong-un to higher office, a move which would be seen as an indication that Kim Jong-un will eventually succeed his father as the country's leader.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that "The conference of the WPK [Workers Party of Korea] for electing its supreme leadership body will take place in Pyongyang on 28 September".

There have been widespread rumours that Kim Jong-il is approaching retirement after he was thought to have had a stroke in 2008.