Intelligence sources have confirmed to this newsroom that a bitter power struggle is tearing through the Kim dynasty. Documents obtained from defectors and intercepted communications paint a picture of a leader isolated by paranoia. The source of the tension?
Kim Jong Un’s half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, whose 2017 assassination is now seen as a prelude to a wider purge. But that is not the secret. The secret is that Kim Jong Un’s eldest son from a mistress, a boy of just 10, was smuggled out of the country last month.
He is now in hiding in Europe under a false identity. His mother, a former concubine, fled with him after fearing for their lives. Insiders say this boy was the heir apparent, trained from birth to lead.
His disappearance has rattled the regime. Senior officials are now scrambling. Some are loyal to the boy.
Others see an opportunity. The power vacuum is real. The question is not if but when the regime cracks.
The boy’s existence was known only to a handful. His mother, once a dancer, was Kim Jong Il’s gift to his son. But she saw the writing on the wall after Kim Jong Un consolidated power.
The boy’s education and indoctrination were top secret. Now that secret is out. And it is a weapon.
Western intelligence agencies are consulting. They know that a fractured North Korea is a dangerous one. The boy could be a symbol for a new order or a pawn in a game of thrones.
But for now, he is just a child running from a regime that kills its own. The documents, shared with this journalist, include a detailed family tree. It shows the boy, name redacted, listed as 'adopted' in official records.
But the birth certificate in a separate file confirms his true parentage. The Kim family history is written in blood. This latest chapter is no different.
