Kim Jong Un’s Missing Nephew Reportedly In CIA Custody After Dad’s Assassination In 2017 — Who Is Kim Han Sol?
He's reportedly been in CIA custody for years.
Alexander Khitrov / Shutterstock A new development in the case of Kim Jong Un’s missing nephew, Kim Han Sol, has recently come to light.
After Han Sol’s father, Kim Jong Nam, was murdered with a nerve agent in 2017, Han Sol, his teenage sister, and their mother tried to flee the area with the help of Adrian Hong and the Free Joseon group (more info on that later).
Kim Han Sol and his family were able to make it to the airport; however, they encountered a few hiccups while waiting for their flight at an airport lounge in Taipei.
When Han Sol and his family failed to show up to the lobby of a hotel to meet with Free Joseon members in his desired country of Amsterdam, it was reported that members of the CIA took them elsewhere before they could reach the hotel.
Who is Kim Jong Un’s nephew, Kim Han Sol — and where is he today?
Read on to find out everything you need to know about Kim Jong Un’s nephew, including why he’s been missing for nearly four years.
Kim Han Sol’s dad is Kim Jong Un’s half-brother.
Ready for an insanely complicated family tree?
Kim Han Sol’s father, Kim Jong Nam, is the half-brother of Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Il, who led North Korea before Kim Jong Un, would’ve chosen Jong Nam as his successor since he is the oldest of Jon Il’s three children.
However, because of an incident that occurred in 2001 when Jong Nam tried to use a fake passport in Japan in order to visit Tokyo Disneyland, he was basically exiled from the North Korean regime for being an embarrassment.
There was also the fact that he had suggested to his father that North Korea should reform some of their foreign policies and “open up to the west,” which reportedly enraged Jong Il.
This is likely why Kim Jong Un was chosen as his father’s successor.
Kim Jong Nam was assassinated at an airport in 2017.
It is thought that Kim Jong Un ordered the assassination of his half-brother, which forced Kim Han Sol and his family to flee the area they were staying in at the time.
Kim Han Sol reached out to Free Joseon for help shortly after his dad’s murder.
After being introduced to Free Joseon leader Adrian Hong by a mutual contact, Han Sol reached out to him and the Free Joseon group in an attempt to seek asylum for himself and his family.
What is Free Joseon?
Free Joseon is an underground, organized resistance group dedicated to bringing down the Kim regime in North Korea.
Kim Han Sol is very wealthy.
And that wealth likely aided in Han Sol and his family’s ability to flee.
“Never met a kid with so much money. Kim Jong Nam had stashed away a lot of cash during his life,” Hong said, adding that when they first met in 2013, Han Sol was wearing Gucci shoes.
Kim Han Sol and his family were stopped at the airport as they tried to leave.
The ticketing agent wouldn’t allow Han Sol and his family to board the flight, saying, “No, they are not getting on. They are too late” -- even though others were allowed to board the plane.
“You know exactly why they cannot get on,” the ticketing agent told Han Sol and their mutual Free Joseon contact.
After the family retreated to another airport lounge, members of the CIA showed up, and the next morning, helped them book tickets to Amsterdam.
Han Sol and his family boarded the flight, but they never walked through the gates when they arrived in The Netherlands.
It is thought that the CIA took Kim Han Sol and his family “elsewhere.”
The last known video of Kim Han Sol is one that was taken by Free Joseon and posted three weeks after he and his family fled.
It’s understood that Kim Han Sol has been in the custody of the CIA for years, although his location is currently unknown — and will likely stay that way for years to come.
Former CIA member Sue Mi Terry, who also serves as a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said, “I assume [Free Joseon] lost Han Sol to the CIA.”
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.