North Korea Planning Kim Han-Sol's Assassination? Ex-Diplomat Says Kim Jong-Nam's Son May Be The Next Target

After Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un, was assassinated in Malaysia on Feb. 13, it might be the chance of his son, Kim Han-sol, to get assassinated, Japanese news reports quoted a former high-level North Korean diplomat as saying Thursday.

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Thae Yong-ho, a former minister at the North Korean Embassy in London, reportedly said in a meeting with Japanese correspondents in Seoul: "Behind it all, there's Kim Jong-un's desire to solidify his legitimacy as the leader."

A video of a young man who identified himself as the son of Kim Jong -nam, surfaced online Wednesday. The video was published March 7 by the Cheollima Civil Defense, an organization that focuses on rescuing North Korean defectors and refugees. The group claims to have "extracted" vulnerable members of Kim’s family with the help of Dutch, U.S. and South Korean authorities, and was keeping them under protection in an undisclosed location.

In the 40-second video, Kim Han-sol, clad in black clothes, spoke from an unidentified location. He showed his passport and said that he is currently staying with his mother and sister.

South Korea’s intelligence agency confirmed the individual on the video is Kim Han-sol, reported Japan Times.

Kim Han-sol, the 22-year-old son of Kim Jong-nam, too, "is a being that cannot be tolerated from the perspective of Kim Jong-un," Thae had reportedly said. "It remains to be seen how possible his survival would be."

Although the Malaysian government has called on the family of Kim Jong-nam to come and reclaim his body, none have come forward to do so due to assassination fears, reported Yonhap News Agency.

In February, a closed circuit television footage had been released that appeared to show the moment when Kim Jong Nam was attacked and the events leading up to his death, according to CNN.

The footage that was first aired on TV in Japan, showed Kim being attacked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2, walking over to a desk and then being escorted to a hospital clinic — both of which matched the timeline of events released by authorities.

The death of Kim Jong-nam under mysterious circumstances in February has brought assassination fears to his son too who had referred to his uncle as a "dictator" and also expressed hope for peace between the two Koreas, BBC reported.

In a 2012 interview for Finnish television, Kim Han-sol, said: "I've always dreamed that one day I would go back and make things better, and make things easier for the people back there. I also dream of unification," BBC had reported in 2012.