A brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited London and attended a concert by Eric Clapton, according to a Japanese news report and a source.
Kim Jong-chul, older brother of the North’s leader and known as a big fan of Clapton, was caught on camera while attending the concert at Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday, Japan’s TBS television station reported.
Dressed in a T-shirt and a leather jacket, Kim was with what appeared to be his girlfriend, it said.
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| Kim Jong-chul, the older brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at another Eric Clapton concert in Singapore on Feb. 14, 2011. (Yonhap) |
A source in London confirmed that Kim visited London and stayed at a downtown hotel. The source also said that Kim was scheduled to board a flight to Moscow on Friday.
Rates at the hotel range from 247 British pounds (about 420,000 won) to 2,184 pounds (3.7 million) per night.
It was the first time Kim Jong-chul has been seen in public since the current leader came to power following the death of his father and late leader, Kim Jong-il, in late 2011.
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| Kim Jong-chul is believed to have stayed at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel during his London visit. (Yonhap) |
Kim Jong-chul is the second of the three known sons of the late leader.
He and the North’s current leader were born to the late leader’s third wife, Ko Yong-hi, who died of breast cancer at age 51 in 2004, while the eldest son, Kim Jong-nam, was born to Kim’s second wife, Song Hae-rim.
The youngest son was chosen as leader because the first son fell out of his father’s favor after he was caught using a fake passport while trying to enter Japan to visit Tokyo Disneyland in 2001. The late leader reportedly determined the second son was too “girlish” to be a leader. (Yonhap)
