MOSCOW--In the gambling hotbed of Macao, the luck of Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of the late Kim Jong Il, may be running out.
The Russian weekly magazine Arguments and Facts said in its online version that Kim was recently evicted from a first-class hotel in Macao because his credit card was declined.
He was unable to pay a total of $15,000 (about 1.2 million yen) in charges for a room on the 17th floor.
The magazine carried a story on Kim’s life in Macao, which included details of his casino gambling along with his girlfriend. The story was based on interviews with reporters and the editor in chief of an English-language newspaper and other people in Macao.
According to the local authorities, Kim’s living expenses are paid by an intelligence organization of China while his entertainment expenses had been paid with remittances from North Korea. Recently, however, he faced a shortage of funds for entertaining.
An official of the hotel said, “He (Kim) presented a gold card. But it was declined.”
As for his younger brother, Jong Un, who became the North Korean leader after the death of Jong Il in December, Kim Jong Nam recently said, “He (Jong Un) will not be able to maintain his leadership for long.”
Because of the remark, the editor in chief suspects that North Korea stopped remitting money to Kim Jong Nam, the weekly magazine said.
The weekly magazine also said that if an unexpected health problem afflicts Jong Un, who is believed to be suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure, Jong Nam could become the North Korean leader. Therefore, China will continue to support him, the weekly magazine said.
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