By Nothing really of interest came out of this short interview with Kim Jong-il’s oldest son, Kim Jong-nam other than the fact that he has horrible fashion taste, not that I am one to talk 
The reclusive eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il gave his first-ever interview to South Korean reporters last Friday after being tracked down at a hotel in Macau, China.
Although Kim Jong-nam said little in the brief exchange, he denied rumors that he has been trying to seek refuge in Europe since allegedly coming under threat of assassination after losing a power struggle to his younger brother Kim Jong-un last year.
“I have no plans on moving to Europe. Why would I?” he said. “I could go there for a vacation, but I think you have only heard rumors.”
A JoongAng Sunday reporter confronted Jong-nam, 39, in the 10th-floor elevator bank of the Altira Hotel after a late-morning meal with an unidentified woman, who looked to be a Korean in her 20s. He had previously given interviews to the Hong Kong and Japanese press, but for South Korean media it was a first. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read the rest of the interview at the link.
10:42 am on June 7th, 2010 1
He said all the things he had to say so that they won't kill him in order to eliminate the threat of him challenging his brother.
11:51 am on June 7th, 2010 2
I can't imagine he'd ever be a threat to his brother. He hasn't lived in North Korea for quite a while and has no power base or support there.
12:01 pm on June 7th, 2010 3
I think he knows who he is very well and understands the possibilities in his future. He is old enough to understand his importance in his country. He keeps a low profile and will make his intentions known when the time is right, if it is ever so.
He also seems to be wearing a wedding ring?
12:36 pm on June 7th, 2010 4
Looks like he is getting plenty to eat………………
3:21 pm on June 7th, 2010 5
Doesn't look like his mention of the Dear Leader Kim suffering from the onset of dementia is in the english version of the article. In the Korean language edition, this son said his father doesn't do much official ruling because of onset of dementia…
3:58 pm on June 7th, 2010 6
He should write is own cookbooks….He's already got the look.
http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_tv/2009/0…
4:01 pm on June 7th, 2010 7
Joking aside, if it really has to be another Kim, I'd prefer it be him than the other. I get the feeling he really would open up North Korea.
4:37 pm on June 7th, 2010 8
I don't think the North Korean military would let Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un, or anyone else open up North Korea.
5:14 pm on June 7th, 2010 9
What happened to the REPLY feature?
Guitard wrote:
I can’t imagine he’d ever be a threat to his brother. He hasn’t lived in North Korea for quite a while and has no power base or support there.
He doesn't need one. By virtue of being the son of the Dear Leader, he has the cachet needed by a faction that might pick him as a rallying figure in their struggle against another faction that rallies around Kim Jong-un or even the uncle. As I was suggesting HERE, this is almost like classic palace intrigue from the days of Chosŏn (well, they still are Chosŏn, how appropriate).
Teadrinker wrote:
Joking aside, if it really has to be another Kim, I’d prefer it be him than the other. I get the feeling he really would open up North Korea.
Agreed. If there is a Gorbachev among any of the Kim clan and their extended family, he seems the most likely.
Tom Langley wrote:
I don’t think the North Korean military would let Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un, or anyone else open up North Korea.
Perhaps, but the main thing the military is concerned about is the military staying in power. They don't necessarily have anything to fear from an opening to the West, especially if it brings more trade through which they themselves can make money.
And military officers know that even if the regime changes, there's still a need for a military, assuming some Baathist-type clean sweep doesn't occur. So a smart deal to dangle in front of North Korea's eyes is that if the regime looks like it starts to crumble, job security for military officers who don't fire on the peasantry will be guaranteed.
5:21 pm on June 7th, 2010 10
Kushibo wrote: What happened to the REPLY feature?
I said I wouldn't be using it any more, and then GI Korea dropped it.
5:26 pm on June 7th, 2010 11
So you're the man behind the curtain…
I don't mind if it's not there, as long as we can rely on comment numbers to refer back to other people. We wouldn't want the fifth columnists monitoring ROK Drop to get confused about who said what about the Brilliant Comrade or his big brother in Macau, the Exuberant Progeny.
8:18 pm on June 7th, 2010 12
#11,
Are you suggesting they'll come after me because I noted his uncanny resemblance to Dom DeLuise? If you hear there was an assassination plot against an extraordinarily handsome and brilliantly intelligent Canadian resident of South Korea, then you know who really is the next in line.
2:32 am on June 8th, 2010 13
Dear Leader Kim is NK is showing signs of Alzheimer's. That throws another explosive ingredient into the relationship with NK. He's alive physically but mentally not there. What will NK military and intelligence agencies do?
Also the son mentioned the NK and the central intelligence agency are in a competition to show greater loyalty to the dear leader.
10:25 am on June 8th, 2010 14
If relevant organs of DPRK really monitor this blog, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them for pardoning two ladies whom I love and admire, Laura Ling and Euna Lee.
8:02 am on June 9th, 2010 15
He has as much value as Frankie from Godfather. "I'm smart! Not like everybody says… like dumb" Yeah, a real threat.