By Kim Young-jin
The grandson of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has begun studying at an international high school in Bosnia, apparently enjoying himself despite drawing hordes of inquisitive media.
Officials of the United World College’s (UWC) branch in Mostar, requesting anonymity, confirmed the arrival of Kim Han-sol, according to reports. They said he began classes later than his classmates after being denied a visa to Hong Kong, where he had applied to attend another branch of the school.
Reports said South Korean and Japanese media converged on the school to get a rare glimpse of a member of the ruling Kim family. He is the first North Korean to attend any of the 13 United World Colleges worldwide.
Han-sol’s father is Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the North Korean leader, who has lived in Macau after apparently being passed over for hereditary succession due to his wayward lifestyle. Jong-nam’s younger brother, Kim Jong-un, is currently making his way to grasp the reins in the Stalinist state.
The confirmation of the 16-year-old’s arrival came weeks after he went viral on the Internet when South Korean media tracked down Kim’s apparent Facebook account once reports surfaced of his enrollment.
``I'm very happy, I love Mostar. I like the food; the people are very nice here,'' the Associated Press quoted him as saying on an amateur video it obtained.
Some outlets captured footage of Kim outside his dormitory in a T-shirt and horn-rimmed glasses. Much attention has focused on his style as it seems to exhibit an embrace of Western culture.
Yonhap News said Han-sol could be heard laughing outside his dorm room with three or four classmates. The group later closed the windows and turned off the lights in response to reporters attempting to listen in.
Han-sol’s social networking sites drew attention due to revealing comments including that he preferred democracy to communism. Access to the pages was quickly restricted.
Some 100 kilometers south of Sarajevo, the school invites students from conflict-torn areas, including Iraq and the Palestine.
The ruling Kim family is said to prioritize education for its children and the younger generation has mainly been enrolled in prestigious schools in Europe. The regime, however, tightly restricts its people from obtaining outside information.