Kenji Fujimoto, the former Kim family chef who briefly returned to Pyongyang last summer, meeting with Kim Jong-un, said that "at present, in North Korea, Mr Kim Jong-nam possesses zero power, zero influence".
Experts say Jong-chul and Jong-un, born to the same mother, might be closer. They attended the same international school in Bern, Switzerland, with several years of overlap, and later the same military university in Pyongyang.
Their mother, Ko Young-hui, was neither Kim Jong-il's first love nor his official wife - he met her when she was performing in a state dance troupe - but many researchers say she was his favourite. Almost 10 years ago, state media began referring to her as the nation's "respected mother". North Korea watchers say the designation was significant: They thought her oldest boy, Jong-chul, was being groomed as successor.
Experts think that Kim Jong-il remained married to his official wife - Kim Young-sook - throughout his relationship with Ko Young-hui. Young-sook had only one child, a daughter.
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