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| Kim Jong Nam (Image: Flickr User - Conecta Abogados) |
The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was assassinated Monday in Malaysia, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Yonhap reported that a South Korean government official said Kim Jong Nam was killed. The official did not provide additional information.
Yonhap reported that a South Korean government official said Kim Jong Nam was killed. The official did not provide additional information.
VOA contacted South Korea's National Intelligence Service, which neither confirmed nor denied the story.
Kim Jong Nam reportedly was killed by two unidentified female agents who used poisoned needles at Kuala Lumpur International Airport before hailing a cab and fleeing the scene.
Kim Jong Nam was once considered the heir apparent to lead North Korea, but he fell out of favor with his father Kim Jong Il after a failed 2001 attempt to enter Japan on a forged passport to visit Disneyland.
Since then, Kim Jong Nam has lived in virtual exile, primarily in the Chinese territory of Macau.
Kim Jong Un assumed leadership of North Korea when his father died in 2011.
This story first appeared on Voice of America & is reposted here with permission.