Kim Jong-un's aunt may have committed suicide

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-01-07

Kim Kyong-hui in an undated photo. (Internet photo)

Kim Kyong-hui, the aunt of North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un, may have committed suicide or passed away from illness following the execution of her husband last month, according to a report from South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.

The Jan. 6 report cites a South Korean government source as saying that Kim Kyong-hui has not appeared in public for some time and her whereabouts are uncertain. There is widespread speculation that the 68-year-old, who has reportedly been battling an array of ailments, may have committed suicide or died of a heart attack, the source added.

The Seoul-based Daily NK paper reported towards the end of last year that Kim Kyong-hui suffered a heart attack after she was notably absent at the commemoration ceremony marking the second anniversary of the death of her brother and former leader Kim Jong-il. The report was not verified.

Kim Kyong-hui's husband, Jang Sung-taek, was executed on Dec. 12 for allegedly seeking to seize power from his former protege Kim Jong-un. The former second-in-command was described as "despicable human scum" by state media and accused of treason, corruption, womanizing, gambling and taking drugs.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of Kim Jong-un, has reportedly disappeared after allegedly surviving two overseas assassination attempts by North Korea's national security department. Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese, claims that the 42-year-old Kim Jong-nam had been living in Moscow to take care of his ill mother and Kim Jong-il's one-time favored mistress, Song Hye-rim. Kim Jong-nam is said to have been "practically" raised by Kim Kyong-hui and was thus very close to Jang Sung-taek.

On the other hand, Kim Jong-chul, the older brother of Kim Jong-un, is said to be continuing to refuse to take up any official positions in the North Korean government due to fears that he could end up like his uncle Jang, Duowei said.