Kim Jong-un’s half-brother was looking to DEFECT from North Korea just days before he was assassinated, new TV show reveals
THE half-brother of North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un was looking to defect just days before he was assassinated earlier this year, a BBC show reveals tonight.
Kim Jong-nam told friends he wanted to start a new life in Switzerland by becoming a European citizen amid growing fears for his personal safety.
He reportedly said he wanted to move to Switzerland, where he spent his childhood at an International School to hark back to a time when he had “nothing to be afraid of.”
“He [Kim Jong-nam] text me a message saying I’ll see you in Geneva, I’ll be back in 3 days,” Mischa Aznavour told "North Korea: Murder in the Family", to be broadcast on BBC 2 at 9pm.
Anthony Sahakian, another school friend said Kim had "let down his guard" while visiting Europe.
“He felt more safe and more secure here, especially in Switzerland," Mr Sahakian said.
“Was he worried? Yeah, would he be talking about moving to Europe if he wasn’t slightly worried? Probably.”
The murder is widely believed to have been ordered by the North Korean government.
Malaysian police said four North Korean suspects fled the country on the day of the murder.
They initially arrested Ri Jong Choi, a North Korean citizen, as a suspect in the murder.
He was later deported after the attorney general said there was insufficient evidence to charge him.
Pyongyang has denied any involvement in the killing.
The former heir-apparent’s death led to a diplomatic dispute between Malaysia and North Korea – there is widespread suspicion Pyongyang is responsible for the murder.
The return of Jong-nam’s body was part of a deal to end a bitter row between the two nations, with the Malaysian Prime Minister announcing the deal included nine Malaysians being allowed to fly out of North Korea and return home.
The playboy half-brother of tyrant Kim Jong-un was killed with VX, one of the world’s deadliest chemical weapons, according to Malaysian police.
He was smothered by the super-toxic nerve agent as he was walking through Kuala Lumpur Airport last month.
Two women have been charged with his murder.
Both reportedly believed they were taking part in a prank for TV.
The female suspects told police they were duped into the killing by “friends” who told them it was just a harmless prank for a reality show.
Jong-nam collapsed and died on the way to hospital.
They now claim they were unwitting pawns in an assassination that US officials and South Korean intelligence have said was organised by North Korean agents.
Jong-nam had criticised the regime of his family and his half-brother Kim Jong-un in the past and had been living in exile, under Beijing’s protection, in the Chinese territory of Macau.
Siti Aishah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, were presented in court by the Malaysian police on Wednesday, where charges were read out against them.
They face the death penalty if convicted.
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