Kim Jong-un's aunt 'defected to US in 1998'
Report claims North Korean leader's aunt was granted US political asylum
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s aunt fled to the United States while looking after her nephew during his time at a Swiss boarding school in the 1990s, a report said on Tuesday.
Ko Yong-suk, who effectively vanished in 1998, had in fact been granted US political asylum, South Korea’s said, citing a former senior intelligence official and a South Korean diplomat based in Berne at the time.
The newspaper said Ko, who would now be 56, and her husband had cosmetic surgery to conceal their identities and remain under the protection of the US authorities.
Kim Jong-un attended an international school in Berne from 1996-2001 and Ko had been sent to care for him during his studies there.
Ko and her husband reportedly made their initial bid for asylum through the US embassy.
“The United States spirited away the couple without even informing us,” the unidentified intelligence official said.
