Kim Jong-nam (Korean: 김정남, Korean: [kim.dzɔŋ.nam]; 10 May 1971 – 13 February 2017) was the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. From roughly 1994 to 2001, he was considered the heir apparent to his father. He was thought to have fallen out of favor after embarrassing the regime in 2001 with a failed attempt to visit Tokyo Disneyland with a false passport, although Kim himself said his loss of favor had been due to advocating reform.

Kim Jong-nam was exiled from North Korea in around 2003, becoming an occasional critic of his family's regime. His younger paternal half-brother, Kim Jong Un, was named heir apparent in September 2010. On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam was assassinated with the nerve agent VX in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, widely believed to have been perpetrated by North Korean agents, alongside previous failed assassination attempts.

Kim Jong-nam was born on 10 May 1971 in Pyongyang, North Korea, to Song Hye-rim, one of four women known to have had children with Kim Jong Il. Because Kim Jong Il aimed to keep his affair with Song a secret due to the disapproval of his father Kim Il Sung, he initially kept Jong-nam out of school, instead sending him to live with Song's older sister Song Hye-rang, who tutored him at home. North Korea Leadership Watch says he left North Korea to visit his grandmother in Moscow, Soviet Union, and spent his childhood at international schools in both Russia and Switzerland until returning to his home country in 1988.

Kim Jong-nam was reported to have had a personality similar to that of his father, and was described by his aunt as being "hot-tempered, sensitive, and gifted in the arts". His aunt also said in 2000 that he "[did] not wish to succeed his father". Like Kim Jong Il, he was interested in film: he wrote scripts and short films from a young age. His father also created a small movie set for him to use.

Kim Jong-nam made several clandestine visits to Japan, starting as early as 1995.

In 1998, Kim Jong-nam was appointed to a senior position in the Ministry of Public Security of North Korea, as a future leader. He was also reported to have been appointed head of the North Korean Computer Committee, in charge of developing an information technology (IT) industry. In January 2001, he accompanied his father to Shanghai, where he had talks with Chinese officials on the IT industry.

In May 2001, Kim Jong-nam was arrested in Japan on arrival at Narita International Airport, accompanied by two women and a four-year-old boy identified as his son. He was traveling on a forged Dominican Republic passport using a Chinese alias, Pang Xiong (Chinese: 胖熊; lit. 'fat bear'). After being detained, he was deported to China, where he said he was traveling to Japan to visit Tokyo Disneyland. The incident caused his father to cancel a planned visit to China due to the embarrassment it caused him.

Until the Tokyo incident, Kim Jong-nam was expected to become leader of the country after his father. In February 2003, the Korean People's Army began a propaganda campaign under the slogan "The respected Mother who is the most-faithful and loyal Subject to the Dear Leader Comrade Supreme Commander". This was interpreted as praise of Ko Yong Hui, and likely part of a campaign designed to promote Kim Jong-chul or Kim Jong Un, her sons.