Pictures of the fraudulent Brazilian passports used by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and his late father Kim Jong Il to visit Western countries in the 1990s have been revealed.
While North Korea’s ruling family is known to have used travel documents obtained under false pretences, there are few specific examples.
The photocopies of the Brazilian passports have not previously been published.
‘They used these Brazilian passports, which clearly show the photographs of Kim Jong Un and Kim Jong Il, to attempt to obtain visas from foreign embassies,’ one senior Western security source said on condition of anonymity.
The photocopies of the Brazilian passports have not previously been published. Four senior Western European security sources confirmed the two Brazilian passports with photos of the Kims in the names of Josef Pwag (left, for Kim Jong Un) and Ijong Tchoi (right, for Kim Jong Il) were used to apply for visas in at least two Western countries
Jong Un (pictured) is known to have been educated at an international school in Berne, Switzerland, where he pretended to be the son of an embassy chauffeur
Jong Il’s passport was issued in the name Ijong Tchoi with a birth date of April 4, 1940. Pictured: The former North Korean dictator in 2001
‘This shows the desire for travel and points to the ruling family’s attempts to build a possible escape route,’ the security source said.
The North Korean embassy in Brazil declined to comment.
Brazil’s foreign ministry said it was investigating.
A Brazilian source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the two passports in question were legitimate documents when sent out as blanks for consulates to issue.
Four other senior Western European security sources confirmed that the two Brazilian passports with photos of the Kims in the names of Josef Pwag and Ijong Tchoi were used to apply for visas in at least two Western countries.
It was unclear whether any visas were issued.
The passports may also have been used to travel to Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong, the security sources said.
The passports may also have been used to travel to Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong, the security sources said. Pictured: Kim Jong Un in 2013
Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported in 2011 that Jong Un visited Tokyo as a child using a Brazilian passport in 1991 – before the issue date on the two Brazilian passports.
Both 10-year passports carry a stamp saying ‘Embassy of Brazil in Prague’ with a February 26, 1996, issue date. The security sources said facial recognition technology confirmed the photographs were those of Kim Jong Un and his father.
The passport with Jong Un’s photo was issued in the name of Josef Pwag with a date of birth of February 1, 1983.
So little is known about Jong Un that even his birth date is disputed. He would have been 12 to 14 years old when the Brazilian passport was issued.
Jong Un is known to have been educated at an international school in Berne, Switzerland, where he pretended to be the son of an embassy chauffeur.
Jong Il’s passport was issued in the name Ijong Tchoi with a birth date of April 4, 1940.
Jong Il died in 2011. His true birth date was in 1941.
Both passports list the holders’ birthplaces as Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The first security source declined to describe how the passport copies had been obtained, citing secrecy rules.
Reuters news agency has only seen photocopies of the passports so was unable to discern if they had been tampered with.