The Most Dangerous of the Three Kims

     I began my blog back in March of 2014, mainly because I wanted to flog my book The Manchurian Tales and initially that is what the blog was named.  The first blog was called "Russian Koreans," a subject that was the main theme of the book that I was trying to promote.  However, it didn't take long for me to decide to expand the subject matter of the blog by including my other book, Snap Shots, into the title of the blog.  Those of you who have been reading my blog know that for the past three years, it has taken on a life of its own and now covers just about everything.  But, I still try to stay geographically within East Asia as much as possible.  In late 2014 I did a series on the Kim family of North Korea, beginning with the grandfather Kim Il Song, who was the founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).  I gave brief historical backgrounds and biographical sketches on Kim Il Song, his wacky son Kim Jong Il, and the current psychotic grandson, Kim Jong Un.  In January of 2015 I wrote a piece on Kim Jong Un which was called "Possibly the Most Dangerous of the Three," suggesting that perhaps the youngest Kim was more dangerous than his crazy father or his grandfather.  Well, at this point, there is no doubt that the youngest Kim is by far the most dangerous and unpredictable of the three!
     Two days ago a brief news flash appeared about the murder/assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the older half brother of Kim Jong Un.  According to the news story, Kim Jong Nam was assaulted at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia by two young women.  The initial stories varied.  Some said that he was stabbed with a poisoned needle from behind, others said that poison was sprayed in his face.  Ultimately the Malaysian police released the story that two women grabbed him from behind and briefly covered his face with a cloth that apparently contained poison.  According to some accounts, Kim himself told the police investigators, before his death, that he was assaulted in such manner.  One woman was almost immediately apprehended and the police are still looking for the other woman as well as three of her male accomplices.  The alleged young woman assassin that was apprehended was supposedly traveling on a Vietnamese passport with a false Vietnamese identity.  All of this sounds like something straight out of a Hollywood spy movie or a novel!  But the Kim family of North Korea has been known to pull off stunts that break the norm, everything from kidnapping to bizarre murders/executions/assassinations!  There is a long family history of murders and assassinations of family members!
     It began with the grandfather Kim Il Song who reportedly eliminated not only many of his "rivals" but also his wife and several mistresses!  The elder Kim had a wife who gave birth to his two sons, but he also had at least three mistresses that he maintained and simply got rid of when he tired of them.  They just disappeared off the face of the earth!  However, Kim Il Song did not have siblings to worry about.  Of his two sons, Kim preferred the eldest to succeed him because he physically resembled him!  The eldest son, Kim Jong Il, like his father, tended to be sort of dumpy with an unattractive face and gloomy with a mean streak.  The younger son, Kim Man Il, was slender and had attractive features.  He was by far his mother's favorite, and in some ways even preferred by his father because he was such a pleasing child.  Then, mysteriously, in 1948, Kim Man Il drowned in the family swimming pool while playing with his older brother Kim Jong Il.  Although it was never said, it was known that the older brother Kim Jong Il had murdered his own little brother out of jealousy!  A year later, the mother also died mysteriously of a gunshot wound.
     So right from the start, there is murder within the Kim family history.  Kim Il Song himself died in 1994 under mysterious circumstances.  All anyone knows is that it was announced that he supposedly died suddenly of a heart attack.  There was no history of heart problems with the elder Kim, so his death was rather sudden despite his advanced age.
     Like father like son, Kim Jong Il not only physically resembled his father, but he also had a string of mistresses as well as his so-called "legal" wife.  His eldest son was Kim Jong Nam, born of his first mistress.  Kim Jong Un is an illegitimate as well, born of his younger mistress!   Like his father, Kim Jong Il preferred his younger son Kim Jong Un because they resembled each other physically!  Kim Jong Nam, however, also resembled his father a bit and was more or less the pick to succeed his father.  But in 2001 Kim Jong Nam fell out of favor with his dad when he was caught at Tokyo's Narita Airport trying to sneak into Japan with a Dominican Republic passport.  He was caught and deported back to North Korea.  Apparently he was trying to sneak-in to visit Japan's Disneyworld with his family.  He also told the Japanese authorities that he had been in Japan on numerous occasions with a false identity, to go night clubbing and to visit Yoshiwara, the famous red light district!  Kim Jong Il became very upset with his eldest son and exiled him to Macau, Chinese Territory, where he had been residing since, under Chinese protection.  It was rumored that the Chinese extended the protection to him because they preferred him over his younger half brother.
     While in exile, Kim Jong Nam frequently traveled and also managed to give an interview to a Japanese reporter who wrote a book about him.  The book revealed that Kim Jong Nam was not only estranged from his dad and the rest of his family, but that he did not care for the North Korean regime and openly criticized its practices.  In 2012, a year after the death of his father and younger half brother's rise to power, there was a failed assassination attempt on him.  Kim Jong Nam, may have been a playboy, but he was no fool, he knew who ordered the assassination attempt.  He wrote a letter to his younger half brother asking him to leave him alone, that he was not interested in taking over the country or any other political role.  He just wanted to be left in peace.  However, Kim Jong Un obviously did not believe him or want to hear anything. In 2015 he ordered another assassination attempt which ended up in a bloody shoot-out in Macau, but failed to kill his half brother.  Now, two years later, he finally succeeded after two previous failed attempts, with this James Bond-like assassination in Malaysia.
     Lest you think this is an isolated case, perish the thought!  Since taking power in 2012 (the first year 2011 was sort of a vacuum), the young Kim has managed to accrue a string of bizarre and gruesome assassinations, murders, and executions.  Perhaps the most publicized such act took place in 2013, a year after he officially took power,  when he ordered the arrest and execution of his own uncle, General Chang (Jang) Song Thaek.  Chang (Jang) was obviously a threat to his absolute power, since Chang was considered second most powerful man in North Korea.  So he accused him of some trumped up charges of being a counterrevolutionary and had him shot!  Chang (Jang) was married to Kim's aunt, his father's cousin!  Two months later he had the entire family wiped out, beginning with his aunt!  This was the most publicized event involving Kim Jong Un other than his constant belligerent rhetoric against South Korea and the U.S.  But here are some of his other "liquidations" that have taken place since he came to power, it seems that the murder of his uncle in 2013 got the ball rolling!
     In 2014 he had the Deputy Security Minister O Sang Hon executed with a flame thrower!
Also in 2014, in fact in the same month of April, he had the Vice Minister of the Army Kim Chol executed by having him shot with a mortar round!  His crime?  He was supposedly drinking and carousing during the official mourning period for Kim Jong Il!  A year later, in April of 2015, he had the Defense Minister Hyong Yong Choi executed in front of a crowd of hundreds by having him shot with an anti-aircraft gun!  His crime was falling asleep during a meeting!  The last such bizarre execution took place less than a year ago in August of 2016 when a top Education Official, Ri Yong Jin was executed for falling asleep at a meeting.  He was machinegunned!  These are only some, better known "executions" that have been reported.  No one knows how many such cases went unreported!
     I think it is clear that not only is Kim Jong Un the worst of the three Kims, but considering how bad his dad and grandfather were, the current Kim is almost unimaginably twisted and psychotic, making them appear almost sane!  I know that there is some hopeful thinking that perhaps the new administration will be able to do something with North Korea, with Kim Jong Un.  But I am beginning to think that short of having him removed physically, i.e., killed, nothing will do.  I don't believe it will be possible to negotiate with him because despite the fact that he might agree on something, he might just as easily go back on his word the next second!  I am beginning to think that short of "taking him out" along with the top leadership in North Korea, there is no other solution.  Obviously there are others in North Korea who support him that are just as looney!  Perhaps South Korea should expand its "Decapitation Unit" and put it into action!