 |
Dressed in white, hair shaved, he was sitting in the VIP bench with a few other South Korean friends who attend the same middle school. The boy's father must be rich and also generous because he paid for the entire tickets for his son and his friends.
When Rain showed up, the boy, just like his friends, couldn't sit tight. He sprang up and sang along the star's songs, shaking his body.
All this could have made him a normal teen. But there was something special about him. He has a very famous grandfather, who often makes international headlines. He is Kim Jong-il's grandson.
It's not a secret that Kim Jong-nam, the oldest son of Kim Jong-il, lives in Macao with his family ― his second wife, identified as Zhang, 35, and with his middle-school son.
Although the two Koreas' relationship has been tense lately, the son of North Korea's supreme leader has been known to maintain "good neighborly relationship" with South Korean residents there, often socializing with them. In fact, Jong-nam often shows up at Korean restaurants there, run by South Koreans, according to Chosun Ilbo Saturday.
But since his younger brother, Jong-un, was reportedly picked as the heir to the next leader of North Korea, Jong-nam has been keeping a low-key life.
"When South Korean and Japanese journalists upped their attention on the fallen prince, by keeping an eye on him at the casinos and restaurants he frequents in Macao, he suddenly left for Bangkok last week," a source told the newspaper.
Amid reports of Kim Jong-il's aggravating health, Jong-nam has been the object of intense international media attention because of concerns about the country's instability and a possible power struggle.
sunny.lee@koreatimes.co.kr
![[INTERVIEW] Mirinae Lee's '8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster' offers fresh perspective on Korean history](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/5fb62072584d44649ed0ca5956d387ea.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[REVIEW] Preview gala sets stage for grand premiere of 'La Rose de Versailles' musical](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/c7528d2924cd43c8a469cd46e6f56127.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
