 |
|
Kim Jong-nam in Macao. Photo courtesy of the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun
|
Kim Jong-il’s eldest says he is there for leisure; others suspect business
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's eldest son, Kim Jong-nam, is reportedly vacationing in Macao. The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported Tuesday that the younger Kim entered Macao on January 28. When approached by a Yomiuri correspondent there, he said he was "alone on vacation." He had a heavy build, short hair and wore sunglasses, the correspondent said. Jong-nam was born between the elder Kim and actress Song Hye-rim. He is reported to have lost ground in the power struggle after his mother exiled herself to a Western country in 1996, and was further sidelined when he was caught sneaking into Japan with a fabricated passport in 2001. Multiple diplomatic sources have been quoted as saying it is possible he is in Macao on business relating to working-level talks regarding the United States’ financial measures on North Korean bank accounts currently frozen at Macao-based Banco Delta Asia. The talks began Tuesday in Beijing.The Yomiuri, quoting Chinese and North Korean sources, reported that Kim Jong-nam opened an account at a large Hong Kong bank in 2005, and that it is registered in the name of Kim Chol, the name Kim Jong-nam uses on his passport. Sources say it appears the bank wanted to hear an "explanation" from him about the nature of the account and predicted that he could soon be traveling from Macao to Hong Kong for that purpose. The sources said the Hong Kong bank account is not currently subject to U.S. sanction, and so it is possible the younger Kim is involved in managing his father’s slush funds. Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
