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Kim Jong-nam
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The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il narrowly missed being assassinated on a trip to Austria recently due to intelligence obtained by Austrian authorities.
The precise nature of the death threat was not disclosed, although it is believed to have been planned by forces operating within the North that may be linked to one of the intended victim's half-brothers.
Kim Jong-nam, 33, the man widely tipped to succeed his father in leading the Northern regime, was protected by the efforts of the Austrian intelligence agency, who learned of the scheme ahead of time.
A source on North Korean affairs said Sunday that, "I know that Kim Jong-nam faced an assassination threat while visiting Europe last month, but Austrian intelligence detected the plot early and kept Kim under close guard. "I understand the assassination attempt was carried out by anti-Kim Jong-nam forces within North Korea," he added.
The counter-terrorism authority of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, upon learning of the plot against Kim, called North Korean ambassador to Austria Kim Gwang-sop to inform him of the situation and strongly convey Austria's position that the assassination attempt be stopped.
The source said the North Korean ambassador reported the plot to Pyongyang, and said, "It appears the Austrian authorities informed Ambassador Kim in order to prevent a North Korean power struggle from being waged on Austrian soil."
It has been learned that forces surrounding 23-year-old Kim Jong-chul or 20-year-old Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-il's younger sons born to mother Ko Yong-hee, planned the assassination out of concern that Jong-nam might succeed his father.
Insiders speculate that either Kim Jong-nam, born to mother Sung Hae-rim, or one his two half-brothers, Kim Jong-chul and Kim Jong-un, will succeed their father, but no decision has yet been made.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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