The Untold Secrets Behind Kim Jong-Nam’s 2017 Assassination That Shook North Korea’s Power Struggle
Meanwhile, his younger half-brother Kim Jong-un seemed to fall much more in line with their father’s regime.
Indeed, as Kim Jong-nam entered quasi-exile, taking up residence primarily in Macau (though he also traveled extensively, including in Europe), Kim Jong-un’s star seemed to rise. In 2009, reports emerged claiming that Kim Jong-un had been officially named his father’s heir. And when Kim Jong-il died in 2011, Kim Jong-un officially took power.
From that point on, Kim Jong-nam’s days were numbered.
The Failed Attempts On Kim Jong-Nam’s Life
Though his father had purportedly “urged that Kim Jong-nam be left alone and not targeted or harassed by the regime,” in his will, according to North Korean House of Cards by Ken Gause, there were several attempts on Kim Jong-nam’s life before and after Kim Jong-il’s death.
A North Korean agent arrested in South Korea admitted that they’d been tasked with killing Kim Jong-nam in 2010; in 2011 there were also reports about attempts on his life after the death of his father.
Wikimedia CommonsKim Jong-un, current leader of North Korea and Kim Jong-nam’s younger brother.
In 2012, there was yet another attempt on Kim Jong-nam’s life. That year Kim Jong-nam allegedly wrote to Kim Jong-un, pleading to be simply left alone. “We have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” he purportedly wrote. “We are well aware that the only way to escape is suicide.”
Indeed, it seemed very likely that Kim Jong-un was behind the assassination attempts, as he may have wanted to remove any threats to his regime. If so, his brother’s letter fell on deaf ears. When assassins came for Kim Jong-nam in 2017, they would finally succeed.
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