Fionn Oblatt blog

Son of N.Korea leader 'attends Clapton concert'

SEOUL (AFP) – A son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il attended a concert in Singapore this week by British guitarist Eric Clapton, a South Korean intelligence official told AFP Wednesday.

The official, who declined to be identified, confirmed news reports in Seoul of the visit by Kim Jong-Chol, second son of the leader of the hardline communist state.

Jong-Chol, wearing black pants and a T-shirt, was seen cheering and swaying among fans at Monday's performance in the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Chosun Ilbo newspaper said.

TV video footage showed a man resembling Jong-Chol entering the stadium, accompanied by some 20 people including bodyguards and women carrying bouquets. He took pictures in front of the stage and chatted with a female companion.

Jong-Chol and his entourage arrived in Singapore early this month and checked into a smart hotel, Chosun said.

Sporting ear piercings, he toured a Universal Studios theme park and Underwater World and purchased expensive jewellery, it said, adding he flew home via Beijing after attending the concert and buying T-shirts.

Jong-Chol, 30, has been passed over as leader-in-waiting in favour of his younger brother Jong-Un. Their father considered Jong-Chol too effeminate, according to a report by a former sushi chef to the leader.

He reportedly last attended Clapton concerts in 2006 when he followed the British star's performances in four German cities, accompanied by his apparent girlfriend or wife and North Korean bodyguards.

The leader's eldest son Jong-Nam was born to a different woman.

He apparently dropped out of contention as future leader after he was caught sneaking into Japan with a bogus passport in 2001 with a woman and a child believed to be his wife and son.

He reportedly said he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Jong-Nam's teenage son in 2009 was seen among cheering fans who packed a concert in Macau by top South Korean pop star Rain, Chosun Ilbo reported at the time.