[7] Kim Han-sol first came to public attention in 2011 when he was accepted by Li Po Chun United World College, a member of the UWC movement, to study in Hong Kong.
He expressed guilt about having enough to eat when his people in North Korea were starving, and he appeared to criticize his uncle – the heir apparent – Kim Jong Un.
[16] On 7 March 2017, in a partially censored video published by the group Free Joseon, Kim Han-sol stated that he was with his mother and sister and hoping that it would "get better soon.
[20][21] The two suspects were members of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is responsible for overseas espionage, and were part of a team of seven foiled by Chinese authorities.
[25][26][27] In January 2023, Chun In-bum, a former lieutenant general in the South Korean Army, told The Daily Telegraph that Han-sol "seems to be somewhere in Europe being protected and taken care of".