Updated Feb 28, 2018 - World

Kim Jong-un had a Brazilian passport to escape if needed

Haley Britzky

Kim Jong-Un at the Sungri Motor Complex in South Pyongan Province. Photo: AFP Photo / KCNA via KNS

Kim Jong-un and his family used illegally-obtained passports from Brazil in order to apply for Western visas, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: One senior Western security source told Reuters the passports showed "the desire for travel and points to the ruling family's attempts to build a possible escape route." The ruling family of the reclusive nation used the passports, which were full of fake information, to travel to Japan, Hong Kong, and Brazil.

Jong Un's passport listed his name as "Josef Pwag," and his birth date as February 1, 1983.
His late father, Kim Jong-il, was named as "Ijong Tchoi" on his passport, with a birth date of April 4, 1940.
Reuters reports it's "unclear whether any visas were issued," but the Brazilian passports were "legitimate documents when sent out as blanks for consulates to issue."

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Kim Jong-un had a Brazilian passport to escape if needed

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