From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This is a Korean name; the family name is Ri.
Ri Han-yong, birth name Ri Il-nam, was a North Korean defector.[2] His mother Song Hye-rang's younger sister Song Hye-rim was a mistress of Kim Jong-il; Ri's mother raised Kim Jong-il's and Hye-rim's son Kim Jong-nam alongside Ri and Ri's sister Nam-ok at a secluded villa outside of Pyongyang in order to keep Jong-nam's parentage a secret from Kim Il-sung.[3] He went abroad to Moscow for university, and then defected to South Korea in 1982 while studying at a language school in Switzerland. After defecting, he initially attempted to keep his identity a secret, changing his name and even going as far as undergoing plastic surgery. His life in the South was troubled. He first studied drama at Hanyang University, and married in 1989; however, in 1991, a construction company he started went bankrupt, and he was jailed for 10 months on charges of embezzlement.[4]
In 1996, due to his ongoing financial difficulties, Ri made his identity as Kim Jong-il's nephew known publicly, selling the story of his aunt Song Hye-rim's exile in Moscow to South Korean newspapers, and then publishing a book about his experiences entitled Taedong River Royal Family. He was shot on 15 February 1997 near his home in Bundang, Gyeonggi-do by two assailants who were never caught; they were suspected to be members of the Korean People's Army's Special Forces based on analysis of the bullets taken from Ri's body, which were fired from a Belgian-made Browning pistol. He was taken to hospital and kept on life-support, but succumbed to his wounds on 26 February.[2][4] South Korean prime minister Lee Soo Sung initially stated that the attack was an act of retaliation for the defection of Hwang Jang-yop, who at the time was living in the South Korean embassy in Beijing.[4] The publication of his tell-all book and the defection of his mother in Switzerland the previous year may have served as additional factors in making him a target of the regime in the North.[2][3] Others speculated at the time that his murder was not politically-motivated, but was instead related to his gambling debts or a dispute with a lover.[5]
[edit] Publications
- Yi, Han-yong (1996). 대동강 로열패밀리 서울잠행 14년 (Taedong River Royal Family; my 14 years incognito in Seoul). Donga Ilbo. ISBN 8970901108.
- Republished as Yi, Han-yong (2005). 김정일 로열패밀리 (Kim Jong-il's Royal Family). Sidae Jeongsin. ISBN 8990959063.
[edit] References
- ^ Geo, Jae. "이한영씨 피격 수사 ‘갈팡질팡’ (Investigation into shooting of Mr. Yi Han-yong 'incoherent')", Munhwa Ilbo, 1997-02-19.
- ^ a b c Gim, Song-a. "이한영 피살 10년 추도식 (Memorial service for 10th anniversary of Yi Han-yong's murder)", The Daily NK, 2007-02-26. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
- ^ a b Lee, Adriana S.. "Secret Lives", Time Magazine, 2003-06-23. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
- ^ a b c Pollack, Andrew. "Korean shooting is casting cloud on signs of thaw", The New York Times, 1997-02-17. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
- ^ Pollack, Andrew. "Allied Friction in Korea", The New York Times, 1997-02-18. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
