Kim Jong-Nam's relatives under protection in Macau: Report

Beijing: The relatives of Kim Jong-Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, have been placed under protection in Macau after his murder in Malaysia, according to a media report.

The circumstances surrounding Jong-Nam's death are still being investigated and both his family and local authorities are now grappling with the consequences of the killing, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The Macau secretary for security Wong Sio Chak said in a statement that he would not reveal any details about the case or the eventual security measures being taken to protect Jong-Nam's relatives, but said that the authorities were paying close attention to the development of the case.

Over the past few days, there have been reports of the US and the South Korean government sources saying they believed North Korean agents murdered Jong-Nam.

Jong-Nam, who moved to Macau, a special administrative region of China, in the early 2000s and was a frequent traveller, had survived an earlier attempt on his life in 2012.

Jong-Nam's second wife Lee Hye-Kyong along with two other relatives?have been living in the former Portuguese colony, whereas his first wife and son reside in Beijing.

"She is very simple, always in good spirits and a very open person...But we never talked about North Korea," a source was quoted as saying.

Both Han-sol, who studied in Bosnia and France, and Sol-hui were raised and educated in international schools in Macau.

"The kids had a very normal childhood, they were very active, attended activities...It wasn't like they we hiding or anything," she said."Until now, they had always felt safe in Macau," the source said.

In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, had said China is keeping a close watch on the events unfolding about the murder of Kim Jong-nam.