Kim Han-sol, the nephew of North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un, has received police protection at a French university amid fears of retaliation for his criticism of the North Korean regime.
Han-sol, who is in his first year of Europe-Asian Programme at the prestigious Sciences-Po University in France, is the son of the North Korean leader's half-brother Kim Jong-Nam. Jong-Nam was thrown out of the country in 2001 for attempting to visit Disneyland in Japan with a fake passport.
The French police officers have prohibited reporters from taking pictures of the 18-year-old teenager on campus. Recently, Han-sol has been asked to remove his name from the campus mail box to avoid any kind of media attention.
The teenager is being offered protection because he might have angered the regime though his criticisms. During a 2012 interview with Finnish television, Han-sol reportedly described the North Korean leader as a 'dictator.' He also expressed his wish to help the citizens of North Korea, Telegraph reports.
Apart from his daring comments, Han-sol's life might be in jeopardy because his father was once considered to be the favorite to succeed the former leader Kim Jong-il (the father of the current supreme leader).
In recent times, Kim Jong-un has not spared anyone including his own family members and relatives who threatened his position or opposed his policies. Opponents have faced severe punishments from executions to labor prisons.
Last Thursday, North Korean media announced that the government has executed Kim Jong-un's uncle, Jang Song-thaek, in an effort to eliminate all the possible threats and opposition to his regime. Jang Song-thaek, the second-most powerful man in the regime, was branded as a 'despicable political careerist and trickster' and 'worse than a dog.' Five of the seven officials who worked along with Kim Jong-il have also been either removed, or sent to labour camps.
