kim jong-nam

Since the establishment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) in 1948, supreme power has passed through three generations of the Kim family, which is venerated in official propaganda as an almost god-like bloodline.

Kim Jong-nam was groomed to be the ruler of the country. The grandson of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-sung, and the eldest child of Kim Jong-il, he was destined for leadership. But, whether by accident or design, he fell from favor after an abortive visit to Disneyland Japan in 2001. He was removed from public view and later exiled to Macau.

Kim Jong-nam was, for a while at least, given plenty of money (perhaps by North Korea or by the Chinese government) on one proviso - don't talk about the family. However, not only was he indiscrete, he was also seemingly an informant of at least one foreign intelligence agency.

Was this connection to the world of espionage the reason that he was assassinated - under truly bizarre circumstances, with the perpetrators seemingly believing they were taking part in a prank video - in Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2017?

The killing of Kim Jong-nam had a serious impact on international relations with North Korea. The Malaysian government blamed Pyongyang for the assassination and rolled back its previously relatively cordial stance towards the North Koreans. Meanwhile, the United States used the incident to impose further sanctions on North Korea, turning the proverbial thumbscrews as part of the “maximum pressure” policy being pursued by the Trump administration at the time.

kim jong-nam

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