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Mystery surrounds whereabouts of brother of N. Korean leader

All News 13:46 May 23, 2015

LONDON/MOSCOW/BEIJING, May 23 (Yonhap) -- Kim Jong-chol attended an Eric Clapton concert in London for the second time this week, but where the brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un headed Saturday remained unknown.

The 34-year-old, known as a big fan of Clapton, was caught on TV cameras attending the concert at Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday and Thursday.

He had been scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Saturday from Moscow on his way to Pyongyang, a source with knowledge of the stopover said.

However, the name of Jong-chol was not on the registry of the flight from London to Moscow, according to the source. He also wasn't seen at the Beijing airport Saturday.

It was the first time Jong-chol 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.

Jong-chol 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.
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