Andrei Lankov wites in the Korea Times:
One of the major sensations widely discussed in the international media in the last few weeks was an interview Japanese TV journalists managed to arrange with Kim Jong-nam, the oldest son of Kim Jong-il.
The interview, which took place in Beijing, was interesting, indeed. Kim Jong-nam promised to help his brother who was recently promoted (obviously, to succeed Kim Jong-il in due time), but he also said something unusual for someone in his position.
He said that, basically, he opposed the idea of hereditary succession as such. Such a statement, coming from a member of the ruling family, attracted much attention, and people began to talk about a power struggle which is brewing inside the Kim family. It might be premature, though: Kim Jong-nam’s statements might reflect his rather unusual personality and life circumstances.
So, who is Kim Jong-nam, what is known about the (rather complicated) family relations of the “Dear Leader” and why does it all matter?
Kim Jong-il’s personal life was hectic, as he sired children with a number of women. To give him his due, he has shown himself to be a caring father and a good partner as well as an exemplary ex. All of his former girlfriends (it seems that he has never bothered to go through a formal marriage procedure) are taken good care of ― at the expense of the starving North Korean farmers, of course.
Kim Jong-il has three known sons and one or two daughters. The oldest son is Kim Jong-nam who was born by Song Hye-rim, a star of North Korean cinema of the 1960s. This union was never approved by Kim Il-sung, and in the mid-1970s Song was shipped to a comfortable exile to Moscow where she died in 2002. Kim Jong-nam, though, remained a darling of his father and until recently was seen as the most likely possible successor.
However, from around 2001 it became clear that he had some problems in Pyongyang. It is frequently stated that his troubles were connected with a bizarre episode in 2001 when he was arrested by Japanese immigration while trying to enter Japan with a fake Dominican passport with two women (obviously, his girlfriend and her maid) and a child. There are good reasons to doubt this, though. Kim Jung-nam visited Japan frequently before the 2001 incident, and it is not unusual for a North Korean dignitary to use a fake ID. So, the disgrace might have been related to something else ― perhaps, to Kim Jong-nam’s strained relations with his father’s new wife, Ko Yong-hui (she is dead now, too).
Ko Yong-hui, a Japan-born dancer, bore two sons. The eldest is Kim Jong-chol who reputably has some health conditions which make him a bad choice for a successor. The second is Kim Jong-un who was recently confirmed (well, almost confirmed) as the successor.
Since 2000 Kim Jong-nam has lived overseas, visiting his native country infrequently. His major home is the city of Macao which is not incidental: since the 1980s Macao was widely used for money transfers and money laundering by North Korean agencies. Therefore, Kim Jong-nam is often said to be a banker and the financial manager of the Kim family. This is not for sure, but he clearly enjoys the expensive lifestyle of a successful international businessman.
Another peculiarity of Kim Jong-nam is his relative openness to foreign media: once intercepted by foreign journalists, he is cheerful and handles the conversation with great skill. Such encounters, though, were never too long: the recent Asahi interview which lasted six minutes is by far the longest (and also by far the most interesting) so far.
Kim Jong-nam is often said to have special relations with Chinese authorities. It must have been the case, indeed: the present author noticed that Chinese officials and official scholars tend to talk about him with great respect. One also suspects that the Chinese have gathered much intelligence on him ― including the type of intelligence he might not be happy about.
At the same time, his experiences make him deeply suspicious to the Pyongyang elite. Kim Jong-nam has lived overseas way too long, and his connections with China are not welcome in Pyongyang where China is seen not only as a useful donor but also as a potential threat. In other words, Kim Jong-nam has little chance to succeed if he gets involved in domestic politics.
So far, it seems that he has different goals in mind. He is often seen in expensive hotels, sometimes in the company of gorgeous ladies. He enjoys a privileged lifestyle, and perhaps even understands that staying away from North Korean politics is the surest way to have an enjoyable, long life, with little stress and dying a natural death at a ripe old age.
Read the full story here:
Kim Jong-nam ― the failed heir
Korea Times
Andrei Lankov
10/24/2010
