(ZHE) Just two days after North Korea embarrassed both the US and Japan by test-firing a new, nuclear-capable ICBM with a 2000 mile range, with neither Trump nor Abe able to articulate a clear retaliation strategy, moments ago Yonhap news agency reported that the elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been assassinated at Kuala Lumpur airport.
Kim Jong Nam, 45, who had lived outside North Korea for years, was reported to have been killed by poison needle by two women who fled the scene by taxi, the reports said.
He was once considered to be the heir to late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il but he fell out of favor with his father in 2001 after he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport, and was arrested at Tokyo airport, apparently en route to Disneyland. Kim Jong Nam had been critical of Kim Jong Un, reportedly saying in 2012 that he “won’t last long” because of his youth and inexperience. The two brothers have different mothers, Bloomberg reports.
Who is behind the murder? As BBG adds, Kim has carried out a series of executions since taking power in 2011, the most high profile of which was the 2013 killing of his uncle and one-time deputy Jang Song Thaek. If Kim Jong Nam was killed by a North Korean spy, it indicates that Kim Jong Un felt a sense of paranoia about his own future and wanted to remove any potential successors, according to Namkoong Young, who has been teaching inter-Korean politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for more than 25 years.
“Jong Nam has been in exile for years away from North’s politics for a long time but he is still the eldest son of Kim Jong Il,” Namkoong said. “And if there was any move or plan by some elite there to have him replace Jong Un, he probably should be removed.”
Of course, it is just as likely that a certain spy agency could have staged the murder, making it seem like it was preemptive retaliation by Un. For now there are no further details.
A person in the Malaysian prime minister’s office, who did not want to be named, confirmed that a North Korean national had been killed at the airport and taken to hospital. The person said police were still waiting for the autopsy report. South Korean officials have yet to comment publicly on the matter. Malaysia’s foreign ministry is still waiting for information from the police on the identity of the deceased man. The death is under the purview of the home affairs ministry, she said. The police didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2014, Kim Jong Un had about 50 officials executed on charges ranging from graft to watching South Korean soap operas. Two senior officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in August last year on Kim’s orders, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing people it did not identify.
By Tyler Durden / Republished with permission / Zero Hedge / Report a typo
China owns state land in some part of malaysia, why China? Malaysia smart corrupted govt, they knowns no other world power will touch malaysia. Read below word by word_ This message to Mr Vladimir Putin. Obj of this message is, to see Vladimir putin to take some drastic action at whatever cost, whatever destruction take place i dont care, what i want is to clean up the mess in malaysia. I represent the majority malaysians who struggles to earn a living. UN, US, NATO fail to take action on malaysia fed govt. The root of the problem is monarchy, esp the sultan johor who is corrupt, greed sold away the state land to foreigners for few billions and became billionaire over night. The entire monarchy, the ruling govt, civil servants, oppositions current and previous all just bunch of crooks. Sabah and sarawak is not belongs to malaysia, it is just part of malaysia. Under mahathir rule, even now, malaysia fed govt(ruling govt) have enjoy sabah and sarawak oil and gas, mysia fed govt just take away all sabah and sarawak economy resources esp the oil and gas worth hundreds billions just taken away. Stupid sabah and sarawak politicians are crooks too. A MUST kick out sabah and sarawak from being part of malaysia at any cost. Then MUST stop monarchy selling away state land to foreigners. In malaysia we have drug, prostitution, human trafficking cartel, encourage of terroristism, what have UN, US, NATO done so far? Nil. Hope someone do something, whatever so, we dont give a damm, whatever so, whatever destruction take place, do it for gd cause. Please we need foreign power to get rid of our greed and corrupt monarchy, ruling govt and the oppositions. For your information, as at dec 2016. Here i am referring to data base, that as at 2016 dec. Malaysia has 434,278 multi-millionaires, all this multi-millionaires are the families members of all ruling and oppositions politicians and their cronies(proxies). As they owns all malaysia major oil n gas, rubber, timber, automotives, retailing, food industries, textiles, all the kind of business in malaysia, and the majority poor n middle income malaysians pays high price to survive as cost of living are extremely high. This will keep going on until the poor dies…434,278 including the sultans and their family members. 434,278 multi-millionaires, some of them will be billionaires soon as some of tbem well connected to ministers, as malaysia oil and gas worth hundreds of billions…