By Lee Han-soo, Park Si-soo
Are family members of assassinated Kim Jong-nam in a safe place? If yes, where are they and how did they get there?
A YouTube clip suggests that at least Kim's son, Han-sol, is alive, quelling concerns over his safety following his father's assassination, allegedly engineered by North Korea, at Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur Airport on Feb. 13. Since then, Kim's family has been considered the next target of assassination.
"My name is Kim Han-sol, from North Korea, part of the Kim family," a black-haired Asian man says in a YouTube clip posted Tuesday. "My father was killed a few days ago. I'm currently with my mother and sister and we're very grateful to... and we hope this gets better soon."
The man showed his passport as proof. But the section containing personal information was blurred when the man brought the passport close to the camera. The clip was posted by Cheollima Civil Defense — a civic group helping North Korea defectors — with a short message: "To North Korean people."
It is unclear when and where the video was recorded. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that the National Intelligence Service verified the man to be Han-sol.
The reason he is appearing in the video is also unclear.
Since Kim's death, Han-sol has been one of the Malaysian police's most wanted men, because his father died with a fake passport identifying him as "Kim Chol." Police have tried to confirm the dead man's identity with a DNA sample from Kim's children, but none have come forward.
In a statement posted with the clip, Cheollima Civil Defense said the clip would be the "first and last statement on this particular matter and the present whereabouts of this family will not be addressed."
The civic group expressed gratitude to the Netherlands, China, the United States and an unnamed "fourth government" for helping move the family. It showed particular gratitude to Ambassador A.J.A. Embrechts, the Netherlands ambassador to South and North Korea.
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