The elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has surfaced in Indonesia, dismissing speculation that he might have been hiding following the execution of his uncle, a South Korean television reported Tuesday.
Kim Jong-nam was sighted at an Italian restaurant run by a Japanese businessman in Jakarta on May 4 with two women, cable news network YTN said.
YTN quoted one of Kim’s friends as saying the 43-year-old had been living well, shuttling back and forth among Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and France, despite the shock execution of his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, last December.
Kim Jong-nam was reportedly close to Jang, once the North’s unofficial number two and political mentor of current leader Kim Jong-un.
Jang’s execution was the biggest political upheaval since the young ruler took power after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011. (AFP)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
