Updated November 23rd, 2020 at 13:27 IST

Kim Jong-Un's nephew Kim Han-sol goes missing after meeting CIA: Report

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s nephew Kim Han-sol has gone missing after ‘meeting with CIA’ and is under ‘protective custody’, according to media reports.

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s affluent nephew Kim Han-sol went missing after ‘meeting with CIA’ after fleeing North Korea with his mother and sister in 2017. In the latest twist into his disappearance, according to media reports, Han-sol has been taken into ‘protective custody’ by the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States. The exiled 25-year-old is the son of Jong-un’s half brother, Kim Jong-nam, who was allegedly murdered on North Korean leader’s order three years ago by reportedly using a nerve agent. Han-sol is said to live a luxurious life even after leaving North Korea, is fluent in English and is now said to be in hiding after surrendering to the American intelligence services. 

According to the New Yorker report, the North Korean dissent group Free Josean has claimed to have assisted Kim Jong Un’s nephew to flee the country after the death of his father. The head of the group, Adrian Hong, the head of the group reportedly said that he had “never met a kid with so much money” and even described Han-sol as carrying “wads of cash” and wearing expensive shoes. Adrian has even said that he believes Kim Jong un’s successor, Kim Jong-il’s oldest son and Han-sol’s father, had “stashed away a lot of cash during his life”.

Belonging to the ruling elite section of North Korea that are known to have extraordinary wealth, the Kim family is reportedly believed to own yachts, palaces, and even huge amount of luxury cars.

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How did Han-sol get out of North Korea?

All of the North Korean leader’s wealth along with the help of US intelligence has reportedly allowed Han-sol to go ‘missing’ after his father was allegedly murdered in 2017. Adrian Hong reportedly claimed that his group helped him out of his home in Macau, which is Chinese territory. 

As per reports, Han-sol called Adrian after he noticed that the “police who typically guarded his house had disappeared.” Having contact with the group since 2013 and showing interest in exposing the human rights violations in North Korea, Jong-Un’s nephew feared for his life and requested to “get out of Macau as soon as possible”. He even met with members of Free Josean group in Taiwan just two days after his father died. After which he is claimed to have taken a flight to the Netherlands to seek asylum but never arrived at the destination. 

It is alleged that two CIA agents intercepted him at Taipei and has been in hiding after being taken into the protective custody. Han-sol’s last appearance in front of the public was a clip released by the Free Josean in the weeks after his father’s alleged killing. Adrian said that the group made a “mistake” of losing him to the CIA.

One of the speculations that came out last year about why the North Korean leader killed his half brother is that he was working with the CIA. It is reportedly said that Jong-nam had at least $124,000 in cash in a bag at the time of his death.

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Read - Teary-eyed Kim Jong Un Issues Rare Apology To North Koreans Over 'failing' To Protect Them

 

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Published November 23rd, 2020 at 13:29 IST