Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, died on Monday after falling ill at a Malaysian airport, according to CNN. However, the details surrounding his death are still unclear, and reports indicate he may have been murdered through poisoning. Authorities are currently investigating every lead.
Police aren’t sure why Kim Jong-nam was at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday but say he experienced “sudden death.” South Korean TV network Chosun reported that he’d been poisoned by two North Korean operatives at the airport. However, Malaysian police official Fadzil Ahmat said they will conduct a post-mortem, and they’re not aware of any suspects yet:
“The deceased … felt like someone grabbed or held his face from behind, He felt dizzy, so he asked for help at the counter of KLIA. So far there are no suspects, but we have started investigations and are looking at a few possibilities to get leads.”
Although he was not as everpresent as his brother Kim Jong-un these days, Kim Jong-nam had his fair share of time in the media. One such incident was when he tried to enter Tokyo Disneyland in 2001 using a forged document. CNN reports that this event, along with him openly speaking out against his family, may have caused his estranged state. He had not been seen in his home country for some time, not even for father Kim Jong-il’s funeral in 2011. But North Korea is secretive, and chances are good that they will be keeping a tight lid on this as well.