North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: AFP
Report claims North Korean leader's aunt was granted US political asylum
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 05 November, 2013, 11:30am
SCMP: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s aunt fled to the United States while looking after her nephew during his time at a Swiss boarding school in the 1990s, a report said on Tuesday.
Ko Yong-suk, who effectively vanished in 1998, had in fact been granted US political asylum, South Korea’s JoongAng Daily said, citing a former senior intelligence official and a South Korean diplomat based in Berne at the time.
The newspaper said Ko, who would now be 56, and her husband had cosmetic surgery to conceal their identities and remain under the protection of the US authorities.