Santo Domingo.- Although the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il at the age of 69 means little to the Dominican Republic, the arrest of his son, Kim Jong-namin early May, 2001 and subsequent expulsion by Japan for using a false Dominican passport is a case that was never solved.

Japan deported the man who identified himself as the of North Korean leader's son after he was arrested for travelling on a false passport. The man, detained along with two women and a four-year-old boy who had arrived in the country with him, said he wanted to visit Tokyo’s Disneyland.

As part of a deal to avoid a diplomatic incident, Beijing agreed to receive Jong-nam, who had arrived at Tokyo's Narita International Airport and admitted having paid US$2,000 each for the fake passports for him and his travelling companions.

Scandals abroad

The reportedly fake passport was part of series of scandals involving trafficked Dominican documents, including cedulas, visas and others, and in most cases were linked to consuls and ambassadors abroad.

One case referred to a Russian national who visited the Dominican embassy in Washington, where he was told about the sale of passports and unabashedly asked the receptionist how much they cost.