Buzz
This week, Kim Jong-un emerged publicly for the first time in over a month, silencing rumors that he had lost control. However, he's not the first in his family to vanish; at this point, it seems like it’s almost become a family tradition.
In a totalitarian regime, those who can escape often do. Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late leader and older sibling to Kim Jong-un, is no exception. Caught with a forged passport while attempting to visit Tokyo Disneyland in Japan, he was exiled by his father to China. He seems unwilling to return to North Korea, and the regime seems equally uninterested in bringing him back—alive, at least.
Kim Jong-nam is fond of keeping his whereabouts uncertain, and tracking him since his exile feels like a real-life version of Where's Waldo. He has a tendency not to settle in one place for too long, whether it’s because he’s a free spirit or because he’s trying to avoid being the target of another assassin’s bullet. Given the fate of his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, who was executed after falling out of favor with Jong-un, it’s easy to see why he might be wary. Pyongyang called Jang a 'despicable human scum' and condemned him for acts of betrayal, even after receiving 'the warmest paternal love' from the party and the leader.
So, where is Kim Jong-nam hiding out these days? He reportedly fled Macau in 2012, worried that North Korean agents had tracked him down. From there, he relocated to Singapore, which is particularly interesting because his younger brother, Kim Jong-chul, was seen there in 2011 attending an Eric Clapton concert. Earlier this year, Jong-nam resurfaced in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he was spotted at a Korean restaurant. He was later recognized at an Italian restaurant in Jakarta, Indonesia, and even posed for a picture with the chef. Recently, onlookers identified him in Paris at Le Meridien Etoile, a luxury hotel. He may have been visiting his son, Han Sol, who studies at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris. Jong-nam, who himself studied in Europe, is fluent in French.
Even before his exile, Kim Jong-nam was known for his world travels. Ten years ago, he may have been the target of an assassination plot in Austria. He was reportedly there to either see a dentist or manage the Kim family's slush fund. In 2009, he took his son to a Rain concert in Thailand. Clearly, Kim Jong-nam is a man on the move. He’s just a red trench coat and a copy of the World Almanac away from starring in his own video game.
