Kim Jong Il’s son has been hitting the slots in Macao

The 35-year-old son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has been enjoying the good life in Macao, the former Portuguese colony that’s now the gambling hub of Asia. He’s apparently been living on the island, which is located off the Chinese mainland near Hong Kong, for the past three years. He’s been seen dining, drinking, and, of course, gambling away in casinos and at slot machines, according to a recent article in the South China Morning Post.

The government of Macao hasn’t yet issued a statement on its North Korean guest, but it is in an awkward position. In 2005, Macao froze a $24 million North Korean account held at one of its banks, which made it look like the Chinese Special Administrative Region was cooperating with international efforts to rein in North Korea. Now Macao has to explain how the son of North Korea’s bizarre leader ended up making the island his base of operations.

A couple of other bizarro factoids about Kim Jong Nam, the son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il:

• Just like his father, he is rotund. (I’d bet he’d giggle if you poked him in the tummy Pillsbury Doughboy-style.)
• In 2001, he tried to sneak into Japan to visit Disneyland. When he was caught, he was carrying a fake Dominican passport with the name Pang Xiong, which translates to “fat bear.”