The Wall Street Journal(WSJ) reported on Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s slain half-brother had contacted intelligence authorities from South Korea and several other countries before he was assassinated. 

In a follow-up to an article it ran on Monday that alleged Kim was an informant for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency(CIA), the American news outlet quoted an unidentified person knowledgeable about the matter as saying that China and Japan were also among other countries Kim Jong-nam reached out to. 

According the source, Kim wanted to develop such partnerships with multinational spy agencies to protect his family from potential risks and secure funds. 

The WSJ said it was unclear whether the information Kim provided to foreign intelligence was precise or useful.

Kim Jong-nam, the oldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was poisoned to death in February 2017 in a deadly VX agent attack in Malaysia’s main airport. Pyongyang was suspected of orchestrating the assassination.

[Photo : YONHAP News]