Full disclosure: I am a bit obsessed with North Korea, it is the only nation of it’s kind in the word, feeling as though it belongs to the dark ages of Europe or the warring states period of China. But in spite of the fascinating nature of the country, most people know only two things about it: Its leader King Jong-un is fat and they have nukes. So it is a bit disorienting for casual news readers when some random guy named Kim Jong-nam is suddenly getting international media attention.
So for those of you who don’t know but would like to: here is a crash course for the man named Kim Jong-nam.
1. No one cared about him until he died. (also he is dead)
This is a Google's search summary for Kim Jong-nam . He was not considered relevant to the international community until very, very recently, specifically the day his death was publicly announced. For all intents and purposes, he was a non-person as far as the internet was concerned.
2. He was the eldest son of Kim Jong-Il
The son of King Jong-Il and Song Hye-rim, Nam was raised as the assumed Heir apparent to the North Korean government, that is, until an almost comical fall from his father's grace.
3. One faithful day, in May 2001, he wanted to go to Disneyland
Nam was detained in Japan for using a fake passport. He was arrested along with two women and a four-year-old boy. When asked what he was dong the answer was simply "taking my family to Tokyo Disneyland."
This was not only an international embarrassment for the Kim dynasty, but it was the straw that broke the camels back in a relationship between father and son. Nam was never interested in running a country and when he was it always had something to do with nonsense about "opening up the economy" and "let's only starve half our population, starving all of them seems excessive."
4. Kim Jong-Un had a standing order for Nam's death.
Let's be honest for a second: North Korea is a monarchy. The eldest son inherits the throne. Kim Jong-Un, the current supreme leader of North Korea, is the second oldest. It only makes sense that Nam's very existence represents an existential threat to the current regime. According, Lee Byung-ho, the director of the South’s National Intelligence Service, that was manifest in a standing order to anyone capable to kill a brother.
5. The Assassin who killed Nam just a few days ago thought it was a prank (but maybe was an actual assassin. It's hard to tell.)
The mastermind behind the assassination of the man who has been at the top of the most hated nations most wanted list for at least five years was paid $90-$100, to shove baby oil into a stranger's face. Only the baby oil was a weapon grade nerve toxin. She claimed that she was doing a favor for as stranger by pranking a friend prank. That story is suspect, to say the least, but it doesn't matter. The oily nerve toxin worked quickly, he was dead in 20 minutes.
So that is all you need to know about Kim Jong-Nam so you don't drown in the sea of news about a guy you never heard of before. Hope you found it helpful!
