The Untold Secrets Behind Kim Jong-Nam’s 2017 Assassination That Shook North Korea’s Power Struggle
Here’s a story that quite frankly sounds like it was ripped from a dark spy novel—except it all went down in the busiest terminal of a Malaysian airport. Kim Jong-nam, once the crown prince of North Korea and eldest son of the enigmatic Kim Jong-il, was suddenly and brazenly taken out in February 2017. You might wonder: how does the would-be heir to a secretive regime end up assassinated on foreign soil, a stone’s throw from innocent travelers? Well, buckle up—because the saga unfolds like a thriller packed with failed Disneyland dreams, international intrigue, and family betrayals straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy. What really pushed Kim Jong-nam from favored lineage to marked man? And who exactly pulled the strings on that fateful day? If you think power struggles stay locked behind palace gates, think again—sometimes, they play out on airport concourses with deadly consequences. LEARN MORE
Once the North Korean heir apparent, Kim Jong-nam was assassinated at a busy airport in Malaysia in February 2017 — presumably on the orders of his younger brother, Kim Jong-un.
JoongAng Sunday/AFP/Getty ImagesMany believed that Kim Jong-nam would succeed his father, Kim Jong-il, before he fell out of favor with the regime.
As the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-nam was widely believed to be his father’s heir to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). However, his path to power was derailed as he got older. And, in February 2017, Kim Jong-nam was brazenly assassinated as he walked through an airport in Malaysia.
Kim Jong-nam’s fall from grace seemingly began in 2001, after a highly publicized debacle in which he was caught attempting to enter Japan with a Dominican Republic passport. He reportedly said he just wanted to take his family to Tokyo Disneyland, but the whole ordeal proved to be a rather significant embarrassment to the North Korean regime.
Post Comment