Strange: N. Korea's Kim Jong-il’s half-brother under house arrest because he looks like his father

Kim Pyong-il

Kim Jong-il is desperate to install his inexperienced son, Kim Jong-Un, as his heir.

(Telegraph) — Kim Jong-il’s half-brother has been reportedly placed under house arrest in Pyongyang because his resemblance to his father and founder of the nation, Kim Il-sung, could derail the transfer of power to the Dear Leader’s son.

South Korean media claimed that Kim Pyong-il, the North’s ambassador to Poland, has been under house arrest since returning to Pyongyang in May to see his ailing mother, Kim Song-Ae.

Sources quoted by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said Kim Jong-il and his son, Kim Jong-Un, are manoeuvring to isolate him and prevent him attracting the support of factions within the regime that have not been entirely won over by the youthful and inexperienced Kim Jong-Un.

Another advantage that Kim Pyong-Il has, they say, is his similarity to his father, a man who died in July 1994 but is still revered in North Korea.