North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s
half-brother was assassinated Monday in Malaysia, South Korean news
agency Yonhap reported
early Tuesday, citing a government source.
Kim Jong Nam was attacked by two unidentified
women who stabbed him with “poisoned needles” at a Malaysian airport before
fleeing, according to cable TV broadcaster TV Chosun.
Malaysian police reportedly suspect Jong Nam
was targeted by North Korea.
The 45-year-old Jong Nam was the oldest son
of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and held no official title.
In the late 1990s he was thought to be the
heir apparent to Kim Jong Il to lead North Korea. However, his chances to
succeed his father took a blow when Jong Nam tried entering Tokyo Disneyland
using a fake passport in May 2001.
Sometimes a critic of his brother’s rule,
Jong Nam had previously suspected he was a target for assassination by North
Korean agents.
He had two wives, a mistress and three
children, according to a 2010 South Korean newspaper profile in The Chosun Ilbo.
The man who died was waiting for a flight to
Macau on Monday when he fell ill, district police chief Abdul Aziz Ali
told The Associated Press.
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