Kim Jong-un’s half-brother assassinated in Malaysia

(Photo: screenshot from The Star Online’s Youtube video)

Malaysian authorities investigate a case of a man who sought medical help in  Kuala Lumpur’s international airport and died shortly afterwards. The name indicated in the man’s passport is Kim Chol.

South Korean media claimed later on that Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un’s half brother, is travelling overseas using the name Kim Chol. He was about to board an outbound flight to Macau on Monday.

According to South Korean media outlet, TV Chosun, the 45-year old male was  killed by two female agents who wielded poisoned needles at him. Another South Korean media outlet, Yonhap, quoted that  the agents were spies from the Reconnaissance General Bureau and are therefore liable to the crime.

Kim Jong-nam was a product of Kim Jong-il’s affair with South Korean born actress Sung Hae-rim. He was once declared heir apparent until he fell out of favor due to an embarrassing attempt to enter Japan on forged documents to visit Disneyland in 2001.

He  then lived in virtual exile, primarily in Macau and was  known as a vocal opposition to the Stalinist regime and the dynastic flow of power of North Korea. It was also reported that he had been close to his uncle Jang Song-Thaek, who was executed in 2013 after being accused of being a counter-revolutionary.

It has been stated that this is the second attempt to assassinate Jong-nam according to a North Korean spy detained in South Korea. The spy admits being involved in a plot to kill the former heir apparent.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un haven’t ever met Kim Jong-nam due to an ancient practice of raising potential successors separately.