The Wall Street Journal(WSJ) reports the family of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam asked several countries for protection immediately after his assassination in February.

The U.S. newspaper quotes a member of a little-known group called Cheollima Civil Defense, known to have helped Kim Jong-nam’s second wife, Lee Hye-kyong, and their children, Han-sol, and Sol-hui, take shelter.

The three family members were known to be residing in Macau when Kim Jong-nam was murdered at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February, and made contact with Cheollima immediately after the incident.  

The Cheollima official said that the U.S., China, and the Netherlands agreed to offer assistance, but that some countries including Canada refused. The official claimed there were attempts by several groups to block the three family members from escaping to their final destination.

On its Web Site in March, Cheollima thanked the governments of the Netherlands, China and the U.S. and another country yet to be identified for their support.

The present location of Kim Jong Nam's son Han-sol remains unknown. 

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