The Czech government has no information on threats to the safety of Kim Pyong-il, both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle and the reclusive nation's ambassador in Prague, a US news report said Tuesday.
It has not taken any additional measures to toughen the security of the North Korean Embassy in Prague where Kim Pyong-il works, according to Radio Free Asia.
This combined photo shows North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung (L) and his son and the North's top envoy to the Czech Republic Kim Pyong-il. (Yonhap)
The report came amid rumors that the 63-year-old North Korean ambassador could face the threat of assassination in the wake of the murder earlier this month of the leader's half brother Kim Jong-nam. South Korea said that it is highly likely that North Korea is behind the death of Kim Jong-nam.
Iveta Martinkova, spokeswoman of the Czech Interior Ministry, was quoted by Russian state-run news agency Sputnik as saying that it "has no information regarding any threat to the life of Kim Pyong-il," RFA reported.
Kim Pyong-il, a younger half brother of late former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Kim Han-sol, the son of Kim Jong-nam, are seen by experts as possible targets of North Korea, as its leader may want to remove any remaining threats to his rule.
Born in 1954, Kim Pyong-il graduated from Kim Il-sung University, the North's top university, before bring appointed as the North's top envoy to Hungary in 1988. He served as its top envoy to Poland for 17 years until 2014 and assumed the current position in January 2015. (Yonhap)
