Chitchat Future president of North Korea arriving in KL

[Rogue Trader]

Kim Jong-nam's son Han-sol arriving in KL

Akil Yunus

Monday, Feb 20, 2017

Kim Han-sol
Photo: The Star

PETALING JAYA - Members of the media from local and international organisations are rushing to Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) following a tip-off that the son of Kim Jong-nam is arriving in Malaysia Monday evening.

The international press, including Korean, Japanese, and Chinese news outlets, earlier received a message saying that Kim Han-sol, 21, is due to land at KLIA2 on an AirAsia flight tonight.

"Dear press members, (this is) to inform that the son of Kim Jong-nam will be arriving at KLIA2 today on an AirAsia flight. Expected to arrive at 7.50pm," said the message that was making the rounds this evening.

It has since been confirmed that Han-sol is flying from Macau on flight AK8321, arriving at 7.40pm.

It is not known if he will be meeting anyone upon arrival.

Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was murdered at KLIA2 a week ago when two women sprayed his face with a chemical as he was about to check into a flight to Macau. His family had been unreachable since the incident.

Malaysia has refused to hand over the body to North Korea, saying it can only be released to the next-of-kin.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Rare interview with the man:

 

[Rogue Trader]

Will Kim Jong-Nam’s Eldest Son Avenge His Father’s Death?
Details Published on Wednesday, 15 February 2017 12:38

As news of North Korea’s leader’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam’s death splashed across the local and international headlines, he is said to leave behind at least three children – with his eldest son, Kim Han-sol, most-likely left avenging his death after the suspected assassination by his uncle, Kim Jong-un.

Kim Jong-il’s 21-year-old grandson first came into the spotlight after an open interview with former Finnish Minister of Defense Elisabeth Rehn in 2012, revealing his father’s virtual exile and life after moving to Macau from Pyongyang.

Claiming to feel “isolated” in North Korea, Han-sol confesses to enjoying his freedom abroad – mixing with others, which made him want to know more about different cultures and backgrounds.

“I decided I should leave the place and go somewhere else,” sharing his decision to further his studies in United World College in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina campus.

His father previously expressed to not being interested in becoming North Korea’s next leader and later told Japanese media his half-brother’s rule would doom the republic.

“Anyone with normal thinking would find it difficult to tolerate three generations of hereditary succession,” Jong-nam once said.

And he was not the only critic as, Han-sol in the same interview said: “My dad was not really interested in politics,” adding that he really did not know how his uncle “became a dictator.

”He also described not knowing his grandfather on his father’s side, who was the late North Korean leader.“I was waiting for him until before he passed away, hoping that he will come find me.

“I really didn’t know if he knew that I existed. I always wanted to meet my grandfather because I just wanted to know what kind of person he is,” he shared.

“I’ve not met both of them (his grandfather and uncle), so it’s also part of the curiosity,” he further stated.

He then openly shared his desire for the reconciliation between North and South Korea and hopes to "go back and make things better and make it easier for the people there", which did not sit well at all with his uncle's regime.

According to a report in ChosunIlbo, “Han-sol displays a definition of democracy and conducted a survey among his Facebook contacts asking them whether they support Communism or Democracy, saying he prefers the latter.

His social media accounts, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube have however been blocked and his blog has been deleted, after attracting a lot of attention with insights into his life, as detailed by North Korea Tech.

One picture also highlighted Han-sol with his arm around a woman, reported to be his girlfriend, which was published by South Korean media.

Now, Han-sol who is reportedly studying in Sciences-Po university, France, remains under police protection amid concerns for the North Korean regime’s stability after his father’s uncle and mentor, Jang Sung-Thaek’s death.

The young man has also gone into hiding, toning down from the media spotlight, and went as far as to remove his name from his mail box. Even his fellow university mates are told not to comment on his university life, according to Yonhap.

Han-sol’s father’s assassination in Malaysia would mark the most high-profile death under his uncle’s regime since the execution of Sung-thaek in December 2013.

Although Jong-nam’s sudden death is still under investigation, pending a postmortem, US Government sources strongly believe North Korean agents murdered Jong-Nam who was highly against his family's dynastic control and because Jong-Un often felt threatened by his older brother who has his own supporters.

“I think that Kim Jong-nam, while he was alive, was causing much more reputational damage to Kim Jong-un in the family.

"I know that China was actually considering him as a potential successor to the dynasty if something happened to Kim Jong-un.

"I don't think he would be very popular, but alternatively as a figure who could bring some change, reform, market-oriented reform in North Korea would be much welcomed by China … I think Japan would support it, too," Dr Leonid Petrov from the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific told ABC.

 

[mojito]

No charisma unlike his uncle Un.