Pyongyang seeks access to secret Japanese bank account of Kim's half-brother

The head of the group that represents North Korean residents of Japan has returned from Pyongyang with a list of orders that include emptying a secret bank account in Tokyo and sending the US$3 million it contains to the regime of Kim Jong-un.

Ho Jong-man, the leader of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, or Chongryon, arrived back in early October from his first trip to Pyongyang for eight years.

Ho had reportedly expected to meet Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, for the first time since he assumed the leadership after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, in 2011.

That he was not able to see Kim indicates that Chongryon's importance to the North Korean regime is waning.

Falling membership as Chongryon members grow older or switch their allegiance to the rival South Korean association means that less money is being funnelled back to Pyongyang.

Ho did, however, meet a senior member of the North Korean government and was handed a personal letter from Kim.

Sources with links to Japan's security services have said the letter included a list of orders as well as instructions on how Chongryon should operate in Japan.