The story of the life and death of 46-year-old Kim Jong-Nam, the elder half-brother of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-UN, acquires new amazing details. But the majority does not doubt that on February 13 in Malaysia, the North Korean security forces had committed significant murder — revenge, jealousy and intimidation all the subjects “brilliant comrade” and “genius among geniuses” standing at the head of the DPRK. And also — as a “gift” to pompously celebrate February 16 in North Korea, the birthday of Kim Jong Il — the father of the current dictator, and murdered.
In Malaysia on Thursday, 16 February, as reported by the police one of the oldest English language Newspapers New Straits Times, was arrested a third suspect in connection with the investigation of the death of Kim Jong-Nam. His name is not called, this 26-year-old Malaysian national, allegedly the lover of one of the previously detained on the case of two women, identified through the records from surveillance cameras at the international airport of Kuala Lumpur, where the crime was committed. First at the time of the arrest on 15 February, all in the same airport, was carrying documents addressed to the citizen of Vietnam (first mentioned, that of Myanmar), she was 29 years old, she was sent to Hanoi. The second woman, who had a Malaysian boyfriend, 25 years old, at her hotel during the arrest, found an Indonesian passport and a ticket to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The court issued a statement that both women were “detained to assist the investigation,” and only within the next seven days, forbidden to leave the country. Later, there were reports that the security services of Malaysia has declared wanted another five suspects, one of whom is a woman.
Detained the citizen of Vietnam who call themselves the don Ti Huong — the main suspect in a white shirt with a large inscription “LOL” on the chest, which image published in recent days the world media. As writes the Malaysian newspaper the Star, she says she was on the scene by accident and became a victim of fraud — some new acquaintances allegedly asked her to play a prank on their buddy, throwing him on the face with a wet handkerchief. A “buddy” that was Kim Jong Nam.
According to South Korean journalists from a major newspaper, “Chosun Ilbo,” Kim Jong-Nam before his death, when he asked for help from employees in the departures area in terminal KLIA2 international airport, Kuala Lumpur was out of breath, he had nearly burned his eyes, and his mouth was foaming. He allegedly said that someone grabbed him from behind and either splashed some liquid in the face, or threw at him funny-smelling handkerchief (none of the version is not officially confirmed). Kim Jong Nam has died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital official Malaysian capital of Putrajaya (a suburb of Kuala Lumpur). Used to kill the poison was said local doctors on the same day, seemed to them even more toxic than potassium cyanide. And women, somehow involved in the crime, according to the Malaysian intelligence agencies, then calmly got into a taxi and left the airport reported carrying their driver, who was also placed under arrest.
On Thursday, the Deputy inspector-General of police of Malaysia tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim announced the completion of the anatomical examination of the dead body, but the autopsy has not been announced. However, there was speculation that they may be either ricin (but it does not work as fast), or tetrodotoxin, for example, contained in the viscera famous among gourmets of delicious fish the puffer fish in Japan called fugu.
Reuters writes that the authorities of the DPRK on the day of the death of Kim Jong-Nam appealed to Kuala Lumpur with a request not to conduct an autopsy and then sent to Malaysia, the delegation visited the hospital, where he died. After that Pyongyang has asked for the return of the body of the deceased home. However, Malaysian authorities have not yet taken a decision, the more that Kim Jong Nam lived in Macau, had Chinese documents, and in the day of the murder he had a passport in the name “Kim Jong-Chul”. It is noteworthy that the name of his younger half-brother, the middle son of Kim Jong Il and dear older brother, Kim Jong-UN, probably hiding from the North Korean secret services in London in 2015. While the Malaysian security services, according to Reuters and the media in South Korea, has already made it clear that they do not intend to tolerate any possible pressure on the investigation.
In order to understand the apparent motives of “eliminating” big brother, Kim Jong-UN, we must remember his background and character traits, says the diplomat and scholar George kunadze, former Deputy foreign Minister of Russia, in the 90 years served as the Ambassador to the Republic of Korea:
— He was definitely one of the many “white Raven” in quite an extensive ruling family of the North Korean KIMS. The mother of Kim Jong-Nam, a very famous actress song Hye rim, the illegal wife of Kim Jong-Il, before his death in 2002, lived in Moscow, the usual life of the Moscow elite. She in any case was not a recluse “North Korean” as we imagine. Of course, Kim Jong-Nam grew up to be a playboy, have studied and often went abroad, and in the late 90-ies of him secretly thought the future “heir”. But the nature of it was inappropriate.
— He always gives the impression of a Swinger? Good-natured fat man, in 2001 caught at Tokyo’s Narita airport with a fake Dominican passport with the Chinese name “Mr. Xiong”, which translates as “fat bear” when he is either with family, or with several mistresses only want to visit the local Disneyland. It is a failed amusement has cost him his power?
— His father got mad, Yes, their relationship collapsed, but Kim Jong-Nam received the freedom! And the fact is that Kim Jong-Il a long time, as far as we know, was thinking who the state is, after all, Kim Than Us over Kim Jong-UN, and therefore, taking into account local traditions, he was more “legitimate.”
I know that was another factor inherent only in North Korea — Communist unspoken caste system, known as the “Sanbon”. They say that the mother of Kim Jong-Nam was a full-blooded Korean, and his stepmother Ko young-Hee, mother of his two youngest half-brothers, Kim Jong UN missing, Kim Jong Chul, had an admixture of Japanese blood. Anyway, the relationship with his younger brother, the current dictator Kim Jong-UN, his older brother was bad, but he tried not to ruffle any feathers — is this true?
— One hundred percent about what you say, knows. It’s North Korea! Of course, it is unlikely that the younger brother, and part of the current “great leader”, could be some warm feelings to the person who, first, has long been his rival, and who, secondly, are older and which (in my opinion, the most important and interesting psychological moment) lived abroad in “free” Macau, China, and lived quite freely, traveled. But Kim Jong-UN in the beginning of the century pulled out from Switzerland, where he also studied and loved to watch and play basketball, brought to Pyongyang and began to fatten, in order to enhance the similarity with his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, to whom he, indeed, very similar. Probably, the “great leader” was full of envy and jealousy towards the person that stole his destiny and now lives a quiet life, about anything without thinking, says George kunadze.
In February 2012, Kim Jong-Nam caused a sensation in Japan when he published a book of the journalist of the newspaper “Tokyo Shimbun” Yoji Gomi, based on their mutual electronic correspondence that lasted, as it turned out, within seven years from the end of 2004, and on a long personal interview. Here he writes about it careened Russian Professor Andrei Lankov:
“Unlike the other members of the ruling family, Kim Jong-Nam did not avoid contact with foreign correspondents, Japanese, French and even sometimes Korean if one were able to intercept it abroad, somewhere in an airport or hotel. Such communication usually did not last long and mostly consisted of the exchange of good-natured jokes, but in some cases, Kim Jong-Nam has allowed himself quite Frank and critical statements. Over time as the frequency of such meetings, and radical (but very relative) statements of Kim Jong-Nam has increased. The main theme that has been repeatedly raised in the correspondence and in an interview with Yoji Gomi, is, of course, the question of the possibility (or, respectively, inability) of the DPRK socio-economic reforms Chinese style… Kim Jong-Nam has recognized that the reforms, of course, are the solution to North Korea’s economic problems and the only way to radically improve the welfare of the people… One time, speaking during an interview using the newspaper to Kim Jong Ynu (at that time still the “heir to the throne”, and is currently the ruler of the country), he directly asked his brother to initiate reforms”.
According to former Russian Ambassador to South Korea, orientalist Georgy Kunadze, if the late Kim Jong-Nam refrain from such letters and statements, maybe he would have lived longer:
— You need to understand that when you just talk about the fact that, say, it would be nice to change something, it’s just freethinking words, but when you are talking quite specifically about the “reform of the Chinese sample”, this sounds like a direct challenge to the authorities. Because that’s exactly what persuade North Korea the leaders in Beijing, and it’s something that, in principle, under certain conditions could work. If tomorrow North Korea to try to quickly turn, say, to Switzerland, nothing good will come of it, but if in China, from an economic point of view, it might work. So talking in General about the reforms — it is permissible for a member of the ruling family, living a fairly free life, liberty, and allusions to specific steps sound like criticism and appeal.
— I heard that Kim Jong-Nam has already attempted several times in this decade, until last time to no avail. But it is believed that Kim Jong-Nam was in fact not a quick no opposition, because no one would was not permitted from the beginning, and a sort of financial envoy “family”. Because it is through Macau (Aomen), having a special status of the DPRK for decades leading foreign financial and trade operations. How about this?
— I am not inclined to agree with her, because a, I’m sorry, the guy to trust the financial secrets of a state like the DPRK (North Korean elite, nothing is more important than money), it would be a great imprudence. It is unlikely Kim Jong-Nam used as such. And on the other hand, it is, I agree, was no dissident and close. Just many members of the Kim family did in the past, and now, apparently, get permission to live abroad, so they don’t get underfoot.
— Kim Jong-Nam has lived in China, I love China, obviously, praised the economic and foreign policy of Beijing, which has a huge impact on Pyongyang, it may be increasing. There is another version: that he was in DPRK as potential “Chinese heir”, a puppet of Beijing in case of some unexpected developments in North Korea and around it. What is his undoing.
— I think that China and North Korea it nobody has believed. But his younger half-brother Kim Jong-UN could think about it, and maybe he just about whispered. I’m sure that this murder was committed by the North Korean secret services. Though, because of this kind of exotic and public ways of killing the person, in principle, inherent in the North Koreans. North Korea lives by the hour of mid-20th century, in the best case even, perhaps, the 19th.
— The manner of committing the crime proves a complete lack of practicality of the chiefs in Pyongyang? Why attract attention to yourself, why the fuss and shock?
— On the contrary. Because killing that is, in their opinion, both interesting and enjoyable. Would poison Kim Jong-Nam slowly, he would die in his bed — who would talked about this? And here is the event! And oscillating all secretly think, “Yes, we need to keep an eye on this to our “great leader”, he’s not kidding.
— That is, it is a crime — from the periodically received news about some absolutely medieval executions in North Korea, where people alive, fed to the pigs and shoot anti-aircraft guns? All this campaign of intimidation?
— Of course! Why you need to shoot the man anti-aircraft machine gun if it can kill with one bullet from a pistol? But shooting a machine gun! Here is the same story, pure and simple. Or remember all the attacks that were made by the North Koreans in the past in South Korea. They also fit perfectly in foreign policy behavior, Pyongyang — which in this case continued the murder of a failed “successor”.
