The killing
of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother could be the best
cloak-and-dagger thriller North Koreans will never get to hear. And if they
did, they'd likely need some plot explainers - few know Kim Jong Un even had a
half-brother.
While no
country in the world has a cult of personality surrounding its leaders as
intensive as North Korea's, the narrative is carefully groomed and highly
selective, leaving even some of the most basic details unknown to the general
public. Predictably enough, the existence of an elder half-brother - and
particularly a somewhat rebellious, free-wheeling one - has never been part of
the North's official leader narrative.
It is
simpler to keep the line of succession and power as clear and direct as
possible. For the most part, that means grandfather, father and son.
Ironically,
or perhaps not, the swirling reports of the hit on half-brother Kim Jong Nam at
a Malaysian airport come as the nation is gearing up for one of the biggest
leader-reverence events of the year.
It's called
the "Day of the Shining Star," the birth anniversary of the late
leader Kim Jong Il, who was Kim Jong Un and Kim Jong Nam's father, though they
had a different mother.
The only
holiday that is more important is the "Day of the Sun," which marks
the birthday of Kim Jong Un's grandfather, North Korea's founder and
"eternal president" Kim Il Sung.
The barrage
of Kim adulation in North Korea is constant. There are even flower festivals
held each year that feature begonias and orchids named "Kimilsungia"
and "Kimjongilia." On Wednesday, with no mention whatsoever of Kim
Jong Nam's death in Malaysia in the state media, figure skating and
synchronized swimming exhibitions were being held in the capital to mark the
day.
Beyond their
frequent "on the spot guidance" trips and attendance at official
events, details of the actual lives of North Korea's leaders are generally
scant. Other members of the Kim family tree are rarely if ever mentioned.
Kim Jong
Un's younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, is a powerful member of the ruling elite, but
that would also come as a surprise to many people here. Her name does appear from
time to time on official guest lists or party positions, but without further
elaboration. His other brother, Kim Jong Chul, and older half-sister, Kim Sul
Song, are believed to be party members in good standing.
Kim Jong Nam
had long been much more problematic.
Before Kim
Jong Un emerged as the clear heir to his father, Kim Jong Nam had been seen by
some outside observers as the country's likely next generation leader.
Others
thought he was not in line, but anyways he is believed to have fallen out of
favor after he was caught at a Japanese airport in 2001 trying to go to Tokyo
Disneyland. He had lived outside of the North for years and has a son who
studied in France, though few solid facts are available.
He had,
however, made some sporadic comments in public suggesting that the North needed
to reform in order to survive and questioning its hereditary rule, but also
indicating he had no desire to switch places with his younger half-brother.
A motive for
the killing is as yet just another of many, many mysteries.
And, of
course, Kim Jong Un himself remains one of them.
Five years
into his reign, he is firmly established a daily fixture on the front pages of
the state-run newspapers, a constant presence on the television news and the
object of tremendous praise on countless billboards and propaganda posters
across the country. In something of a break with past practice, his wife has
been often seen with him in public - though less so recently.
But to
outsiders, it can be surprising how narrow the official narrative is.
Purges, not
surprisingly, aren't normally reported, though the brief trial and execution of
Kim Jong Un's powerful uncle was prominently broadcast and signaled to many
experts Kim Jong Un's effort to solidify his powerbase. On a more mundane
level, it has never been confirmed if Kim Jong Un has children (he is believed
to have at least one daughter), what his age is (probably 32 or 33) or many
other basic biographical details.
When asked
about the gaps, officials regularly explain that it is because the still young
Kim is too humble to want such attention for himself.
(AP)
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