North Korea's heir apparent planned attack on eldest brother

London, Oct 13 (ANI): North Korea's heir apparent Kim Jong-Un's aides planned to attack his eldest brother Kim Jong-nam in 2009 after the later demanded reforms in the country.

China foiled the attack on Kim Jong-Nam, the 39-year-old brother of Kim Jong-Un, a South Korean official told the leading Korean newspaper the Chosun Ilbo.

Kim Jong Un's aides tried "to do something to Jong Nam, who has a loose tongue abroad," the official said.

The plan to move against Jong-Nam, who lives in self-imposed exile in Beijing and Macau, was allegedly fuelled by rumours that the Chinese may plant him as a puppet ruler in the event of a regime collapse in Pyongyang.

The paper added that Jong-Nam has close ties with China's network of princelings, the coterie of sons and daughters of senior Chinese officials who have powerful business interests and family political connections in China, The Telegraph reports.

In the 1990s Jong-Nam appeared to be on track to succeed his father after being made head of foreign counter-intelligence, but fell from grace in 2001 after he was caught trying to enter Japan on a forged passport for a trip to Tokyo Disneyland.

Since then Jong-Nam has lead a fairly ordinary life with his wife and two children. (ANI)