Kim Han-sol

Kim Han-sol (Korean: 김한솔, born 16 June 1995)[3] is the eldest son of Kim Jong-nam and a grandson of the former North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il. His father was the unofficial heir apparent until 2001, when he fell out of favor with the regime after a failed attempt to secretly visit Japan's Disneyland in May 2001.[4]

For the singer, see Kim Hansol (singer). For the South Korean gymnast, see Kim Han-sol (gymnast).
In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.
Kim Han-sol
김한솔
Born16 June 1995 (1995-06-16) (age 25)
Pyongyang, North Korea
NationalityNorth Korean, Portuguese
Parent(s)Kim Jong-nam (father)
Ri Hye-kyong (mother)
RelativesKim dynasty
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
김한솔
Hancha
金漢率[1][2]
Revised RomanizationGim Han-sol
McCune–ReischauerKim Han-sol

Kim Han-sol's half-uncle, Kim Jong-un, was named the heir apparent in September 2010,[5] and succeeded Kim Jong-il upon the latter's death in December 2011.[6]

His whereabouts have been unknown since his father's assassination in 2017.[7] In November 2020, it was reported that Han-Sol had been taken into protective custody by the Central Intelligence Agency at some point following his father's assassination.[8][9]

Early life and education

Kim Han-sol was born in Pyongyang in 1995 and had an isolated upbringing in Mainland China and Macau.[10] Kim Han-sol first came to public attention in 2011 when he was accepted by Li Po Chun United World College, a member of the UWC movement, to study in Hong Kong. Later, he was denied a student visa by the Hong Kong government.[11] In late 2011, due to an admissions announcement by the United World Colleges' (UWC) United World College in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina campus, it was discovered by the South Korean media that one of the newly admitted students to the college was Kim Han-sol, about whom very little had been previously known.[12]

The South Korean media tracked down several online accounts maintained by Kim Han-sol.[13][14] The content of the accounts were widely spread online, providing stark contrast to his grandfather's regime. In various posted messages on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, he expressed guilt for his family's role in the suffering of the North Korean people. He expressed guilt about having enough to eat when his people in North Korea were starving, and he appeared to criticize his uncle – the heir apparent – Kim Jong-un.[15][16]

In October 2012, Kim Han-sol made his first ever televised interview (in English) with Finnish TV network Yle, making several comments about his desire for Korean reunification, and not disputing the interviewer's disparaging characterizations of Kim Han-sol's grandfather's and uncle's rule over North Korea.[3]

In December 2013, Kim was in his first year of study at the Le Havre campus of France's Sciences Po university. Following the execution of his grand uncle Jang Song-thaek in December 2013, he was placed under police protection.[17] He completed his studies at Sciences Po in 2016.[18]

Assassination of Kim Jong-nam
Main article: Assassination of Kim Jong-nam

Kim Han-sol's father Kim Jong-nam died in Malaysia on 13 February 2017, after two women attacked him at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and rubbed his face with VX nerve agent, a lethal chemical weapon.[19] On 7 March 2017 a video surfaced of Kim Han-sol that was by a group called the Cheollima Civil Defense, and though parts of it were censored, he stated that he was with his mother and sister and hoping that it would "get better soon."[20]

His father's body was flown back to North Korea on 31 March, despite his protests.[21]

In October 2017, Chinese police arrested two North Korean agents in Beijing, on suspicion of plotting to harm Kim Han-sol, according to the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo.[22][23] The two suspects were members of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is responsible for overseas espionage and part of a team of seven that was foiled by Chinese authorities.[24] In April 2020, however, Bloomberg News journalists Kanga Kong and Jon Herskovitz reported that Kim Han-sol's "whereabouts remain unknown" since the assassination.[7][25]

See also

References
  1. 金正恩侄子将入读巴黎政治学院 Archived 24 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine，亚太日报，2013年8月28日
  2. "金正日的长孙微博引起韩国各界关注".
  3. "Kim Han-sol interviewed by Elisabeth Rehn (1/2)". YouTube. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  4. Huffington Post article: "Kim Jong Nam, North Korean Leader's Son, Denies Plans To Defect."
  5. Christian Science Monitor article: "Kim Jong-un confirmed North Korean heir ahead of massive military parade."
  6. McCurry, Justin (19 December 2011). "Rwanda: Kagame's power struggle". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  7. Kong, Kanga; Herskovitz, Jon (21 April 2020). "If not Kim Jong Un, who? The possible heirs to North Korea's throne". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  8. Holloway, Henry (23 November 2020). "Kim Jong-un's nephew Kim Han-sol goes missing 'after meeting with CIA'". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  9. "Kim Jong-un's rich nephew Kim Han-sol goes missing 'after meeting with CIA'". NewsComAu. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. "North Korea's secretive 'first family'". BBC News. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  11. "Hong Kong snubs North Korea leader's 'lovely' grandson". The Daily Telegraph. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  12. Kim Jong-il's Grandson Goes to Int'l School in Bosnia, Chosun Ilbo, 30 September 2011
  13. Kim Jong-il's Grandson Feels Sorry for Starving Compatriots, Chosun Ilbo, 4 October 2011
  14. 3 October 2011, Kim Jong-il Family's Facebook Pages Revealed, Chosun Ilbo
  15. Sabina Niksic (30 September 2011). "Kim Han Sol, Kim Jong Il's Grandson Enrolls in United World College". The Huffington Post.
  16. Choe Sang-Hun (6 October 2011). "Web Postings Stir Interest in Teenager's Relation to North Korean Leader". The New York Times.
  17. James Rothwell (18 December 2013). "Kim Jong-un's nephew 'under police protection' at his exclusive university in France". The Independent.
  18. James Griffiths (8 March 2017). "Kim Jong Nam's son appears for first time since his father's murder". CNN.
  19. "North Korean leader's brother Kim Jong-nam killed at Malaysia airport". 14 February 2017 – via bbc.co.uk.
  20. "KHS Video". 7 March 2017.
  21. "Kim Jong Nam's son did not want body handed over to N. Korea：The Asahi Shimbun". 5 July 2017. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  22. Parry, Richard Lloyd (1 November 2017). "Chinese police foil plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un's nephew". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  23. 채혜선 (31 October 2017). ""'암살 위협' 김한솔, 낮술 마시는 등 '이젠 내 차례' 불안 호소"" (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo.
  24. "Chinese police foil assassination plot on Jong Nam’s son", Free Malaysia Today (31 October 2017).
  25. "Thousands Taken: Kidnappings by North Korea's Kim Dynasty Continue for Half a Century". JAPAN Forward. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
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