North Korean student with links to regime escaped kidnap bid in Paris, now in hiding

PARIS – A North Korean student with family ties to the regime has escaped a kidnapping bid in Paris, where he was studying, and is now in hiding.

A French source said Saturday that the student, identified only as Han, escaped a kidnapping attempt at a Paris airport where he was to be put on a plane for the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

It was not clear how many kidnappers were involved in the failed bid in the first week of November.

Han is reportedly the son of an aide of the once powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The uncle, Jang Song Thaek, was executed last December on treason charges.