Korea, KL says no positive identification of body yet

As far as a former North Korean spy is concerned, the suspected assassins who killed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother looked more like amateurs.

In his remarks, Hwang also urged the world to hold North Korea accountable for the killing.

Malaysia said the North Korean allegations against Kuala Lumpur were “deeply insulting”.

South Korea expects discussions with the United States on designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, Cho said.

“We have no reason why we want to do something that would paint the North Koreans in a bad light”.

As pointed out by the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR), an independent think tank and publisher, China has helped sustain Jong-un’s regime, and has “historically opposed harsh global sanctions on North Korea in the hope of avoiding regime collapse and a refugee influx across their 870-mile border”.

Friction began last week when Malaysia reversed an earlier decision to unconditionally repatriate Kim Jong Nam’s body to Pyongyang.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak regarded the statement issued by North Korea’s ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, as “diplomatically rude” and totally uncalled for.

Kim Jong Nam was reportedly considered a threat to his half-brother’s rule because of his outspoken criticism of the authoritarian regime. Both scenes match the timeline of events that was released by authorities.

North Korea has not confirmed the identity of the deceased as a member of the ruling family, with the ambassador calling him “Kim Chol”, the name listed in one of the four passports Kim Jong Nam was carrying when the attack happened.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said the “deeply insulting” accusations were based on “delusions, lies and half-truths”. “It is the responsibility of the government to do so”. The two women were identified by CCTV footage taken from Kuala Lumpur’s airport, where Mr Kim was allegedly assassinated on Feb 13.

He sought help at a customer service counter at the airport and was rushed to the Putrajaya Hospital but died on the way. The ambassador can not make baseless accusations against us.

Pyongyang’s ambassador has said it will refuse to accept the results of a Malaysian police investigation into Kim’s death, accusing authorities of “colluding with outside forces” – a veiled reference to rival South Korea.

Indonesian officials said three of those men transited through Jakarta after the apparent assassination, leaving on a night-time flight to Dubai.

“Malaysia is very embarrassed”, Lee said.

The attack spiraled into diplomatic fury when Malaysia refused to hand over Kim’s corpse to North Korean diplomats after his death, and proceeded with an autopsy over the diplomats’ objections.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said Malaysian police are cooperating with Interpol and other relevant bodies overseas to track them.

“Beijing could say this was an internal affair of North Korea and it has no intention of interfering”, the source told SCMP. “We don’t have any hidden agenda or anything against this country”.