[identity profile] seung-is-my-ho.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] omonatheydid

TIME News Feed: Kim Han Sol is a soft-spoken, bespectacled 18-year-old student who has his ear pierced and hopes to one day work toward “world peace.” He’s also the grandson of Kim Jong Il, the late dictator of North Korea and one of the most reviled despots on the planet.

In a first-ever interview recently uploaded to YouTube, Kim Han Sol sat down with former Finnish member of parliament Elisabeth Rehn to discuss his life and his unusual family.

Kim Han Sol Interview Part.1

Youtube: processedturkey

Kim Han Sol Interview Part.2

Youtube: processedturkey

Han Sol’s father, Kim Jong Nam, had been widely tipped to succeed Kim Jong Il until he was arrested while entering Japan with a fake passport from the Dominican Republic in 2001, reportedly during an attempt to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Jong Nam and his second wife Lee Hye Kyong eventually moved to Macao, a picturesque former Portuguese colony on China’s southern coast, and home to a gambling industry larger than even Las Vegas. There, their son Kim Han Sol lived in obscurity, shepherded by bodyguards and attending an international school. His online media presence — with appearances on YouTubeFacebookMySpace and the dating site Asiafind — became an occasional hot topic in South Korean and Japanese news media.

Last year, Kim Han Sol moved to the historic city of Mostar, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, to further his studies at the United World College after Hong Kong rejected his visa application. Months later, his grandfather, Kim Jong Il died in Pyongyang and his uncle, Kim Jong-un, assumed leadership of the repressive regime.

Han Sol said in the interview that he had never met his grandfather. “I was waiting for him until before he passed away, hoping that he will come find me,” he told Rehn. “I really didn’t know that he knew that I existed. I always wanted to meet my grandfather, wanted to know what kind of person he is, wanted to know more about his personal things.” The teenager also denied ever having met his uncle Jong Un. “I don’t know how he became a dictator.”

Kim said he led a sheltered childhood, living with his mother’s family in North Korea; he only found out much later that he was the Dear Leader’s grandson. ”When I was growing up in North Korea, I wasn’t really aware of what was going on. I spent some time at my mother’s place. The standard was ordinary, I really didn’t get to know until later on that my grandfather was a leader in Korea. That was quite an interesting experience,” he said.

“Little by little, through conversations that my parents had, I started to put puzzle pieces together and started to realize who [Kim Jong Il] was.”

Han Sol said that he planned to pursue a university degree, volunteer and eventually dedicate himself to humanitarian projects. He said he wanted to “contribute to building world peace, especially back home.” Rehn, a former Finnish minister of defence, praised him for his goals. “I would very much to have you as one of my grandsons, but you have of course your own parents,” she said.


Source: newsfeed.time.com 

Well, he definitely didn't get the Kim family genes passed on to him, lol. Seems like he really wants to help make the world a better place, including his home country. I wish the best of luck for him. 
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Date: 2012-11-26 05:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] initialc.livejournal.com
I watched this a few weeks back and was utterly fascinated. He seems like a good kid. Aware of his family ties, but does not want to be limited by them.

Date: 2012-11-26 05:50 am (UTC)
ext_1944634: RamiCafe (Karam)
From: [identity profile] beanii.livejournal.com
Haven't watched the interview yet, but what an experience. Waking up one day to discover your grandfather is a dictator and your uncle is to succeed him. It's a feeling I'm sure very difficult to describe.

Date: 2012-11-26 05:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] burger.livejournal.com
I watched it a few weeks back too. He seems like a decent person with good ideals!

Date: 2012-11-26 05:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] burger.livejournal.com
and I like his glasses

Date: 2012-11-26 06:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] yunhe.livejournal.com
OT: I'm embarrassed because my country's former Minister of defence cannot even pronounce Kim Jong-il correctly (she refers to him as Kim Il-yong at some point). Otherwise I like her style.

Anyhow, this kid seems really bright and future orientated. I doubt he alone can bring any changes but it's good to see that not everyone in this family is a complete nutcase. Wish Kim Jong-un would show signs of being like this, too, but it doesn't seem likely.
Edited Date: 2012-11-26 07:23 am (UTC)

Date: 2012-11-26 01:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] uniqlos.livejournal.com
is finland the same as sweden where the letter "j" is the "y" sound? i was in summer camp over there but i only remember the swedes sounding like that.

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Date: 2012-11-26 06:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chunsakuma.livejournal.com
I admire his optimism, intelligence, and open-mindedness.

Date: 2012-11-26 07:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] xmikutiax.livejournal.com
idk if it's the glasses or the earrings but this guy is really doing it for me

Date: 2012-11-26 01:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] -keepthebeat.livejournal.com
Looool, glad I'm not the only one. @_@

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Date: 2012-11-26 07:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lonelymoon.livejournal.com
I hope there's not going to be a price on his head now that he's spoken out.

Date: 2012-11-26 08:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] angela-derp-otp.livejournal.com
Watching this interview makes me feel really optimistic about the world and humanity tbqh.

Date: 2012-11-26 04:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] annhh.livejournal.com
me too

Date: 2012-11-26 08:59 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lobotronic.livejournal.com
he's.....cute?

interesting interview.

Date: 2012-11-26 09:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] es2pido.livejournal.com
I was waiting for someone to say that.

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Date: 2012-11-26 09:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] es2pido.livejournal.com
Oppa s a r a n g h e y o ~ ♥

Date: 2012-11-26 09:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] es2pido.livejournal.com
I need fanchants for North Korean oppa.

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Date: 2012-11-26 09:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] allegsiseu.livejournal.com
it's sad that his dad had to sneak to disneyland using a fake passport

and i just got done reading a post about the xenophobia of asians after red dawn was released.

Date: 2012-11-26 09:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] anconeous.livejournal.com
Watched this several weeks back and was very impressed with how he handled the interview. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and very much aware of the world out there and the place he came from.

And LOL he looks so much like a normal Korean teenager.

Date: 2012-11-26 10:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] xalter-egox.livejournal.com
Oooh, watched this a few weeks ago~ He really sounds like a good kid, and I hope all the best for him and his family :D
Also, his glasses and cheeks are adorable XD

Date: 2012-11-26 11:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] baroness.livejournal.com
i watched this when it came out in finland, and i was really fascinated by the interview and his attitude about life in general, seems like a good kid imo

Date: 2012-11-26 12:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] siaht.livejournal.com
This one actually looks like Yesung!

Date: 2012-11-26 06:24 pm (UTC)

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Date: 2012-11-26 01:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] violentiak.livejournal.com
Oh wow, so weird to see Elisabeth Rehn on Omona.
But she's cool and this was really interesting.

Date: 2012-11-26 02:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] melizah.livejournal.com
Oh wow, so weird to see Elisabeth Rehn on Omona.

I agree, I thought I'd come to some other page by mistake when I opened this in a tab haha.

Date: 2012-11-26 01:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] onlylexy.livejournal.com
This is so old though...

Date: 2012-11-26 02:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] song-jihyuk.livejournal.com
he's like chubbier version of minhyuk :o

Date: 2012-11-26 06:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] noxiouspanda.livejournal.com
This wasn't on omona earlier? Maybe I'm confusing it with where ever i saw it first then...?

Date: 2012-11-26 08:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 0nlymemories.livejournal.com
I think it was in the comments somewhere? I don't remember seeing the actual interview on the FP.

Date: 2012-11-26 06:58 pm (UTC)
dipropylene: (yuka hirata)
From: [personal profile] dipropylene
Elisabeth Rehn in my Omona... O.O

Date: 2012-11-26 07:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hitsujiga.livejournal.com
very interesting interview. have to agree with omona that he seems like a smart kid and i hope he can work towards his dreams and a change in his homecountry.

Date: 2012-11-26 09:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] k4shia.livejournal.com
this family deserves its own manhwa or k-drama.
(deleted comment)

Date: 2012-11-27 12:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 45s.livejournal.com
Getting arrested trying to go to Disney was the biggest bummer of the story.

Good interview though. Thanks for sharing

Date: 2012-11-27 05:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] endless-night55.livejournal.com
Yeah, as it seems NK could have taken a serious turn for the better if his older brother was in charge. Really sad.

Date: 2012-11-27 05:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] xblackchristmas.livejournal.com
hes so cute...
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