Did 'careless' Facebook use lead to Kim Jong-nam's assassination? Estranged half-brother of North Korean dictator couldn't resist posting pictures of his playboy life in Macau and Shanghai

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Kim Jong-Nam's 'careless' use of Facebook and emails may have led to his assassination, it has been reported.

The 46-year-old, half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, was poisoned to death by two female operatives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday.

His Facebook page was under the name 'Kim Chol', the same name used on the passport he had in his possession when he was killed.

He is show outside luxury hotels, casinos and on a yacht in photos he posted online - despite reportedly telling friends that he feared for his life and was 'on borrowed time'.

But his use of the social media site as well as commercial email addresses may have inadvertently led to his death, according to security experts. 

Kim Jong-Nam’s 'careless' use of Facebook and emails may have led to his assassination, it has been reported. He is shown in one of his Facebook photos

The 46-year-old half-brother of Kim Jong-un, poisoned to death by two female operatives in Kuala Lumpur, posted numerous pictures of himself online along with comments

Jong-nam's Facebook profile shows a squirrel along with a French flag filter - possibly added in solidarity with Paris in the wake of the November 13 ISIS terror attacks

South Korean intelligence chiefs say he was poisoned by agents from the North as he walked through Kuala Lumpur International Airport on his way to board a flight.

Asian news websites are now reporting that the Facebook profile is that of the estranged relative of North Korea's dictator who had been living in exile in Macau.

A former intelligence secretary to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak claims that his 'careless' use of emails and social media may have prompted his assassination.

Cha Du-hyeogn told NK News Jong-nam was known to have used commercial e-mail addresses to communicate.

He said: 'Open activities like these do not look like they are coming from a person who is constantly under the death threats.

'I think it is possible that Kim (Jong-nam) was careless, leading to his unsuspecting death.'

Jong-nam's Facebook profile shows a squirrel along with a French flag filter - possibly added in solidarity with Paris in the wake of the November 13, 2015 ISIS terror attacks.

A former intelligence secretary to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak claims that his 'careless' use of emails and social media may have prompted his assassination

In 2010, he added another photo where he was posing in front of the five-star hotel Wynn Macau. He said of the image: 'Nice place!'

His profile suggests he studied at the International School of Geneva and at the Lycée français de Moscou

The profile includes friends from numerous countries including France, Singapore and Switzerland and photos of Kim in various locales including Macau and Shanghai, as well as pictures of dogs.

Kim Chol was the name on the passport Kim Jong Nam used to travel to Malaysia, according to authorities there.

'I miss Europe,' he posted next to a 2008 picture of himself and a man standing on a yacht. 'Living Las Vegas in Asia,' he posted in 2010.

His 'likes' include French musician Serge Gainsbourg and two bars in Singapore, including one called Girls Bar Kimidori. He also 'liked' Russian President Vladimir Putin and a Kim Jong Un impersonator calling himself Kim Jong 'Um'. 

In 2010, he added a photo where he was posing in front of the five-star hotel Wynn Macau. He said of the image: 'Nice place!'

His profile suggests he studied at the International School of Geneva and at the Lycée français de Moscou. 

Before he was killed in Malaysia, Jong Nam lived quietly in the Asian gambling hub of Macau, avoiding controversy and seemingly relaxed about personal safety, according to sources close to him.

But according to the South China Morning Post, he confided in friends that he felt like he was living on 'borrowed time'.

The profile includes friends from numerous countries including France, Singapore and Switzerland and photos of Kim in various locales including Macau and Shanghai, as well as pictures of dogs

Kim Chol was the name on the passport Kim Jong Nam used to travel to Malaysia, according to authorities there

His 'likes' include French musician Serge Gainsbourg and two bars in Singapore, including one called Girls Bar Kimidori. He also 'liked' Russian President Vladimir Putin and a Kim Jong Un impersonator calling himself Kim Jong 'Um'

One veteran casino industry source, who has known him for over a decade, said he last met the affable, portly Kim at the Four Seasons Hotel in Macau last month, when he was eating cake and having a drink in the lobby coffee shop.

'I often saw him by himself. He never seemed to have bodyguards,' said the source who declined to be named given the sensitivity of the matter. 'He didn't seem nervous at all.'

Five years ago, Kim Jong Nam pleaded with his half-brother, Kim Jong Un, to withdraw a standing order for his assassination, according to the South Korean intelligence agency.

Some analysts have said Kim Jong Un believed his brother could be used in any overthrow of his regime. An attempt was made on Kim Jong Nam's life in 2012, after which he did not stay long in any place, and travelled frequently between various cities in Southeast Asia and China.

The 'LOL assasin' (left)  who allegedly murdered Kim Jong-nan, right, by wiping poison on his face may have been 'duped into killing him' by 'friends who told her it was a harmless prank'

How the chillingly audacious murder of North Korean tyrant's brother in a major airport may have involved a poisonous handkerchief and fountain pen

U.S. and South Korean government sources said they believed North Korean agents murdered Kim Jong Nam at an airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

But a source with ties to top officials in Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters that North Korea was not behind the killing.

'Kim Jong Nam has nothing to do with (North) Korea,' the source said. 'There is no reason for (North) Korea to kill him.'

Friends in Macau, where he spent much of his time, said Kim Jong Nam was an outwardly relaxed man, often casually dressed, sometimes in jeans and sandals, and carried a Louis Vuitton shoulder satchel. He had a striking dragon tattoo on his back according to a source who went to the gym with Kim.

According to South Korea's spy agency, Kim had lived under the protection of Chinese authorities in the China-ruled territory, with at least one of his known wives and two of his children. 

The woman, pictured on CCTV, has been arrested the suspect, has been named as 28-year-old Doan Thi Huong, of Vietnam, although Malaysian authorities believe it may be a false identity

Kim Jong-nan, pictured, was half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and was open critical of his siblings regime 

According to the casino source and another Macanese businessman who had known him for years, Kim dabbled in business ventures in Macau including a Japanese restaurant called Gold Japanese Cuisine that closed last year.

The place, along a harbour-front boulevard, was shuttered, the metal grill stuffed with envelopes that included bank statements and electricity bills.

One notice above the door said power had been disconnected last March 15 due to 'payment failure'.

It wasn't possible to verify Kim's ownership in the restaurant with an initial search for companies registered under Kim's name and one known alias showing up no records at Macau's Commercial Registry Office.

One longtime business associate said some of Kim's family in Macau, including an adult son, were now under enhanced security.

'It's very sensitive now,' said the Macanese businessman who claims he also once had trade dealings with Kim's father.

'His family is under police protection, especially the son. I'm afraid he might be targeted. Anything is possible.'

At a sprawling middle class residential development on Macau's Taipa island called Ocean Garden, a policeman was stationed outside one of the blocks where a resident and a security guard said Kim's family now live. For several hours on Wednesday evening, four police vehicles and around a dozen officers, some armed, were nearby.

JONG-NAM 'PLEADED FOR HIS LIFE TO BE SPARED'

The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un pleaded for his life to be spared after a failed assassination bid in 2012, lawmakers briefed by Seoul's spy chief have claimed.

Jong-Nam, the eldest son of the late former leader Kim Jong-Il, was once seen as heir apparent but fell out of favour following an embarrassing botched bid in 2001 to enter Japan on a forged passport and visit Disneyland.

He has since lived in virtual exile, mainly in the Chinese territory of Macau, while Jong-Un took over the isolated, nuclear-armed state after the death of his father in December 2011.

The North in 2012 tried to assassinate Jong-Nam - known to be a supporter of reform in Pyongyang - Seoul lawmakers said following a closed-door briefing by the chief of the National Intelligence Service, Lee Byung-Ho.

The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un pleaded for his life to be spared after a failed assassination bid in 2012, lawmakers briefed by Seoul's spy chief said today

'According to (Lee)... there was one (assassination) bid in 2012, and Jong-Nam in April 2012 sent a letter to Jong-Un saying 'Please spare me and my family,'' Kim Byung-Kee, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters.

'It also said 'We have nowhere to go... we know that the only way to escape is suicide',' he said, adding Jong-Nam had little political support at home and posed little threat to Jong-Un.

Jong-Nam's family - his former and current wives and three children - are currently living in Beijing and Macau, said another committee member, Lee Cheol-Woo.

'They are under the protection by the Chinese authorities,' he said, adding Jong-Nam had entered Malaysia on February 6, a week before his death.

Jong-Nam's murder is the highest-profile death under the Kim Jong-Un's regime since the execution of the leader's uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, in December 2013.

Jang, known to be close to China and an advocate of economic reform in the North, was charged with treason.

Jong-Nam, believed to have ties with Beijing's elite, was a relatively outspoken figure, publicly criticising Pyongyang's political system.

The 45-year-old said he 'personally opposed' the hereditary power transfer in his own family, during an interview with Japan's Asahi TV in 2010.

One of his sons - Han-Sol - also described his uncle, Jong-Un, as a 'dictator' in a rare interview with a Finnish TV station in 2012 while he was studying in Europe.

Macau authorities said in a statement in response to inquiries about Kim and his family that they were monitoring developments closely.

While Kim was once known to enjoy a lavish lifestyle with extended stays in hotel suites, a love of fine French wine and gourmet cuisine, according to people who socialised with him in the past, he seemed to have cut back on his spending recently.

His family in Macau had moved several times, first from an oceanfront villa to two modest residential high rises on Taipa island.

'He often just queued for taxis. It's crazy that someone like him had to do that ... He seemed careful with his money,' said the casino executive.

He liked the occasional flutter in the casinos, however, and was seen recently on the gaming floors of the Wynn Macau and the Four Seasons, according to a second casino source.

'He wasn't a big gambler but liked betting a few thousand (Hong Kong dollars) each time, mostly baccarat. He would just drift around the tables watching mostly, then suddenly put down a bet.'