North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's aunt is suing several prominent defectors for defamation in Seoul, her lawyer Kang Yong-suk said Tuesday.

Ko Yong-suk, the sister of Kim's mother Ko Yong-hui, looked after Kim when he was at school in Switzerland. She has been living in the U.S. since she sought asylum there in 1998.

The lawsuit was filed after discussion with her husband, Lee Kang, who also goes by the name of Park Kun. During a recent visit to Seoul, Lee handed Kang copies of his and Ko's passports and signed a power of attorney.

Ko and Lee are suing three defectors who have often appeared on South Korean TV. The couple demand W10 million from each of them for claiming that Ko's father worked for the Japanese occupiers and that she was behind the expulsion of Kim Jong-nam, Kim’s older half-brother who now lives in China (US$1=W1,159).

In civil lawsuits a lawyer can attend court hearings on his client's behalf. Even foreign nationals can file a lawsuit with a Korean court if they can prove that they suffered damages from illegal activities in the country.