North Korea leader`s half-brother spotted in Jakarta: Report

Jakarta: The elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has surfaced in Indonesia, dismissing speculation that he might have been hiding following the execution of his uncle, a South Korean television reported Tuesday. Kim Jong-Nam was sighted at an Italian restaurant run by a Japanese businessman in Jakarta on May 4 with two women, cable news network YTN said.

YTN quoted one of Kim`s friends as saying the 43-year-old had been living well, shuttling back and forth among Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and France, despite the shock execution of his uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, last December. Kim Jong-Nam was reportedly close to Jang, once the North`s unofficial number two and political mentor of current leader Kim Jong-Un. Jang`s execution was the biggest political upheaval since the young ruler took power after the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011. Kim Jong-Nam was once considered heir apparent but fell out of favour with his father following a botched attempt in 2001 to secretly enter Japan and visit Disneyland. He has since lived in virtual exile, mainly in the Chinese territory of Macau. Kim Jong-Nam, known as an advocate for reform, once told a Japanese newspaper that he opposed the idea of the North`s dynastic power transfer.