This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/world/asia/kim-jong-nam-son-video-north-korea.html
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Son of Kim Jong-nam Appears to Surface in YouTube Video | Son of Kim Jong-nam Appears to Surface in YouTube Video |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| SEOUL, South Korea — The son of Kim Jong-nam — the slain half brother of North Korea’s leader — appears to have emerged in a YouTube clip indicating that his family has gone into hiding after his father’s killing last month. | SEOUL, South Korea — The son of Kim Jong-nam — the slain half brother of North Korea’s leader — appears to have emerged in a YouTube clip indicating that his family has gone into hiding after his father’s killing last month. |
| “My father has been killed a few days ago,” the young man, who called himself Kim Han-sol, said in the video posted on Tuesday. “I’m currently with my mother and my sister.” | “My father has been killed a few days ago,” the young man, who called himself Kim Han-sol, said in the video posted on Tuesday. “I’m currently with my mother and my sister.” |
| In the 39-second video, the man shows what appears to be his North Korean passport as proof of his identity, but the particulars are blacked out. | In the 39-second video, the man shows what appears to be his North Korean passport as proof of his identity, but the particulars are blacked out. |
| “We hope this gets better soon,” he says before signing off. | “We hope this gets better soon,” he says before signing off. |
| The man was indeed Kim Han-sol, said Do Hee-youn, head of the Citizens’ Coalition for the Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees, based in Seoul, who added that he had been monitoring Mr. Kim’s whereabouts for years. | The man was indeed Kim Han-sol, said Do Hee-youn, head of the Citizens’ Coalition for the Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees, based in Seoul, who added that he had been monitoring Mr. Kim’s whereabouts for years. |
| Jeong Joon-hee, a spokesman of the South’s Unification Ministry, said the government was trying to identify the man but noted, “it’s clear to everyone that the person closely resembles Kim Han-sol.” He declined to comment on Mr. Kim’s location. | Jeong Joon-hee, a spokesman of the South’s Unification Ministry, said the government was trying to identify the man but noted, “it’s clear to everyone that the person closely resembles Kim Han-sol.” He declined to comment on Mr. Kim’s location. |
| The emergence of the video added an intriguing twist to the killing of Kim Jong-nam on Feb. 13. The Malaysian police have arrested two women who are accused of smearing Mr. Kim’s face with the nerve agent VX. Malaysia said the women were most likely recruited by several North Korean suspects. | The emergence of the video added an intriguing twist to the killing of Kim Jong-nam on Feb. 13. The Malaysian police have arrested two women who are accused of smearing Mr. Kim’s face with the nerve agent VX. Malaysia said the women were most likely recruited by several North Korean suspects. |
| North Korea has repeatedly denied involvement. On Tuesday, it said it was barring all Malaysians from leaving the country until there was a “fair settlement” of the dispute. Malaysia responded in kind, preventing all North Koreans from leaving Malaysia until the safety of Malaysians in North Korea could be assured. | North Korea has repeatedly denied involvement. On Tuesday, it said it was barring all Malaysians from leaving the country until there was a “fair settlement” of the dispute. Malaysia responded in kind, preventing all North Koreans from leaving Malaysia until the safety of Malaysians in North Korea could be assured. |
| Shortly after Mr. Kim was killed, South Korean intelligence officials said they believed that his family, which has lived in Macau in recent years, was under Chinese government protection. But Kim Han-sol did not show up in Kuala Lumpur after the Malaysian authorities looked for the next of kin to formally identify his father’s body. | Shortly after Mr. Kim was killed, South Korean intelligence officials said they believed that his family, which has lived in Macau in recent years, was under Chinese government protection. But Kim Han-sol did not show up in Kuala Lumpur after the Malaysian authorities looked for the next of kin to formally identify his father’s body. |
| The video was posted by a group called Cheollima Civil Defense, which said it focused on rescuing North Korean defectors and refugees. | The video was posted by a group called Cheollima Civil Defense, which said it focused on rescuing North Korean defectors and refugees. |
| On its website, the group said it had responded last month to “an emergency request by survivors of the family of Kim Jong-nam for extraction and protection.” | On its website, the group said it had responded last month to “an emergency request by survivors of the family of Kim Jong-nam for extraction and protection.” |
| “The three family members were met quickly and relocated to safety,” the group said. “This will be the first and last statement on this particular matter, and the present whereabouts of this family will not be addressed.” | “The three family members were met quickly and relocated to safety,” the group said. “This will be the first and last statement on this particular matter, and the present whereabouts of this family will not be addressed.” |
| Mr. Jeong and Mr. Do said they had not previously heard of the group. | Mr. Jeong and Mr. Do said they had not previously heard of the group. |
| “This video means that Kim Han-sol’s family is in safety and working together with this group, whoever they are, to attack the North Korean government,” said Mr. Do, an activist who has helped North Korean refugees for years. | “This video means that Kim Han-sol’s family is in safety and working together with this group, whoever they are, to attack the North Korean government,” said Mr. Do, an activist who has helped North Korean refugees for years. |
| The group thanked the countries that it said had provided “emergency humanitarian assistance” in its efforts to protect the Kim family: China, the Netherlands, the United States and another nation it did not identify. In particular, it thanked A.J.A. Embrechts, the Dutch ambassador to South Korea, “for his timely and strong response to our sudden request for assistance.” | The group thanked the countries that it said had provided “emergency humanitarian assistance” in its efforts to protect the Kim family: China, the Netherlands, the United States and another nation it did not identify. In particular, it thanked A.J.A. Embrechts, the Dutch ambassador to South Korea, “for his timely and strong response to our sudden request for assistance.” |
| The Dutch Embassy did not immediately comment. The United States Embassy also did not comment. | The Dutch Embassy did not immediately comment. The United States Embassy also did not comment. |
| Kim Han-sol was born in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, in 1995 but has spent most of his life abroad, living with his father in Macau, the Chinese gambling enclave, and attending schools in Bosnia and France. | Kim Han-sol was born in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, in 1995 but has spent most of his life abroad, living with his father in Macau, the Chinese gambling enclave, and attending schools in Bosnia and France. |
| Speaking to a European broadcaster in 2012, Kim Han-sol said he had never met his uncle Kim Jong-un, the current leader of North Korea, or his grandfather Kim Jong-il, who ruled the North until his death in 2011. In the same interview, Kim Han-sol said he did not know how his uncle had become a “dictator.” | Speaking to a European broadcaster in 2012, Kim Han-sol said he had never met his uncle Kim Jong-un, the current leader of North Korea, or his grandfather Kim Jong-il, who ruled the North until his death in 2011. In the same interview, Kim Han-sol said he did not know how his uncle had become a “dictator.” |
| His father, Kim Jong-nam, had been sidelined from the center of power in North Korea for years as his influential stepmother, Ko Young-hee, the mother of Kim Jong-un, saw him as a potential threat. | His father, Kim Jong-nam, had been sidelined from the center of power in North Korea for years as his influential stepmother, Ko Young-hee, the mother of Kim Jong-un, saw him as a potential threat. |
| Analysts say that Kim Jong-un may have ordered the assassination of his half brother for fear that China might try to install Kim Jong-nam as a figurehead in Pyongyang should his own regime implode. | Analysts say that Kim Jong-un may have ordered the assassination of his half brother for fear that China might try to install Kim Jong-nam as a figurehead in Pyongyang should his own regime implode. |
| North Korea remains in a standoff with Malaysia over the handling of the killing and the tit-for-tat bans on Tuesday that prohibit the departure of Malaysians from North Korea and North Koreans from Malaysia. | North Korea remains in a standoff with Malaysia over the handling of the killing and the tit-for-tat bans on Tuesday that prohibit the departure of Malaysians from North Korea and North Koreans from Malaysia. |
| In Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia said on Wednesday that he did not intend to break off diplomatic relations with North Korea despite its decision on Tuesday to bar Malaysians from leaving. | In Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia said on Wednesday that he did not intend to break off diplomatic relations with North Korea despite its decision on Tuesday to bar Malaysians from leaving. |
| Mr. Najib said that it was important to maintain communication with the North and that he was trying to determine what the reclusive country wanted in exchange for the release of Malaysians in North Korea. | Mr. Najib said that it was important to maintain communication with the North and that he was trying to determine what the reclusive country wanted in exchange for the release of Malaysians in North Korea. |
| “You need to have a channel to talk to them, to negotiate with them,” he said, according to the Malaysian news site The Star Online. “In the meantime, we need to examine what is the need of the North Korean government. That is what we have to be sure of.” | “You need to have a channel to talk to them, to negotiate with them,” he said, according to the Malaysian news site The Star Online. “In the meantime, we need to examine what is the need of the North Korean government. That is what we have to be sure of.” |
| Officials in Malaysia have said 11 of its citizens, including embassy staff, family members and United Nations workers, are in North Korea. | Officials in Malaysia have said 11 of its citizens, including embassy staff, family members and United Nations workers, are in North Korea. |
| About 1,000 North Koreans are now in Malaysia. | About 1,000 North Koreans are now in Malaysia. |
| Mr. Najib said in remarks to Parliament that the Malaysians who were stuck in North Korea did not face any threat and were allowed to go about their daily lives. | Mr. Najib said in remarks to Parliament that the Malaysians who were stuck in North Korea did not face any threat and were allowed to go about their daily lives. |
| North Korea has denied that Mr. Kim was killed by VX and demanded that his body be turned over to its representatives. It has also accused Malaysia of colluding with the North’s enemies to blame Pyongyang for the killing. | North Korea has denied that Mr. Kim was killed by VX and demanded that his body be turned over to its representatives. It has also accused Malaysia of colluding with the North’s enemies to blame Pyongyang for the killing. |
| “We didn’t pick a quarrel with them, but when a crime has been committed, especially when chemical weapons have been used in Malaysia, we are duty bound to protect the interest of Malaysians,” Mr. Najib told Parliament, according to Reuters. | “We didn’t pick a quarrel with them, but when a crime has been committed, especially when chemical weapons have been used in Malaysia, we are duty bound to protect the interest of Malaysians,” Mr. Najib told Parliament, according to Reuters. |
| He noted that Malaysia had in the past been on good terms with North Korea, which has been shunned by many other nations for its development of nuclear weapons and the brutal mistreatment of its people. Until Monday, North Koreans could enter Malaysia without a visa. | He noted that Malaysia had in the past been on good terms with North Korea, which has been shunned by many other nations for its development of nuclear weapons and the brutal mistreatment of its people. Until Monday, North Koreans could enter Malaysia without a visa. |
| “We are a country that’s friendly to them,” Mr. Najib said. | “We are a country that’s friendly to them,” Mr. Najib said. |
| A top official at the State Department in Washington praised Malaysia’s handling of the investigation into the Kim killing on Tuesday. The official, Daniel R. Russel, the departing assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said that the police had conducted “an impressive investigation and worked from the facts in a quick and professional and sophisticated manner.” | A top official at the State Department in Washington praised Malaysia’s handling of the investigation into the Kim killing on Tuesday. The official, Daniel R. Russel, the departing assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said that the police had conducted “an impressive investigation and worked from the facts in a quick and professional and sophisticated manner.” |
| Speaking to reporters during a conference call, Mr. Russel said that he understood the need for Malaysia to expel North Korea’s ambassador, Kang Chol, after the diplomat questioned the finding that Mr. Kim had been poisoned with VX. | Speaking to reporters during a conference call, Mr. Russel said that he understood the need for Malaysia to expel North Korea’s ambassador, Kang Chol, after the diplomat questioned the finding that Mr. Kim had been poisoned with VX. |
| “The hijacking of the territory of a country by a foreign power for the purpose of murder, for the purpose of political assassination, is reprehensible,” Mr. Russel said, “and my sympathies go to Malaysia on that account.” |