Kim's portly son happily rolling in the dough

By GEOFFREY YORK
Friday, February 02, 2007

The bizarre family saga of North Korea's ruling dynasty took a strange new twist this week with the revelation that Kim Jong-il's eldest son is leading a life of gambling and drinking in Macau.

Despite the widespread hunger and poverty in North Korea, Kim Jong-nam, the portly 35-year-old son of the North Korean dictator, has reportedly been spending most of his time for the past three years at casinos, saunas and luxury hotels in the former Portuguese enclave.

The oldest Kim son was photographed in Macau this week by a newspaper as he left his favorite hotel, the Mandarin Oriental.

He is said to be a frequent visitor to Macau's casinos and slot machines, and often goes out late at night for whisky or cognac, according to the South China Morning Post. One of his haunts is reported to be the Lisboa Hotel, notorious for its prostitutes and private gambling halls for China's wealthy elite.

Macau has more gambling revenue than any other city in Asia. But it has also been a major conduit for North Korea's business dealings.

Its banks were allegedly used as money-laundering centers for the Stalinist regime. In 2005, under intense U.S. pressure, Macau froze $24-million in bank accounts linked to North Korea, provoking a furious response from Pyongyang and causing a collapse of diplomatic negotiations over the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula.

The oldest son was long rumored to be the heir apparent to the North Korean strongman, but lost favor in 2001 when he embarrassed the regime with a strange incident in Japan. He was detained at Tokyo's airport when he tried to enter Japan on a fake Dominican passport, apparently because he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

The saga of North Korea's ruling family is shrouded in secrecy. But it is increasingly clear that the Kim family has become the world's first Communist hereditary dynasty.

The current dictator, Kim Jong-il, known as Dear Leader, is the son of the regime's founding father, Kim Il-sung, who was called the Great Leader. After rising to power in 1994 following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il has left little doubt he intends to pass it on to one of his sons.

But the identity of his heir is still unknown. He is believed to have three sons and two daughters by three different women. A power struggle among the factions of the potential successors has reportedly led to assassination attempts.

Kim Jong-nam, educated in Switzerland and Moscow, was given top government posts in the late 1990s and was clearly being groomed for power. His mother was a film star, later confined to a mental asylum. After the Disneyland incident, however, the oldest son fell from favor.

The second-oldest son, Kim Jong-chol, 25, is said to be a music fan who attended an Eric Clapton concert in Germany last year.

According to a memoir by the ruling family's former sushi chef, Kim Jong-il considers his second-oldest son to be "too girlie." The dictator is reported to favor his third son, Kim Jong-un, who is said to resemble his father.

The mother of the two youngest sons is Koh Young Hui, a former dancer who had a 25-year relationship with Kim Jong-il.

Meanwhile, the revelation of the oldest son's luxurious life in Macau could cause diplomatic problems for North Korea, especially if Macau remains an important financial lifeline for the regime.

Kim Jong-nam is said to travel frequently to China, Europe and Thailand. But his movements might now be curtailed. Hong Kong has cancelled a visa for him to enter the former British enclave, according to a Japanese newspaper.