A high-level North Korean delegation arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday searching for the body of leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother, the victim of a nerve-agent attack that many suspect Pyongyang itself of orchestrating.
The body of Kim Jong Nam, killed Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur’s airport, is at the center of a heated diplomatic battle in between North Korea and Malaysia. Pyongyang opposed Malaysian officials even conducting an autopsy, though Malaysia has resisted providing up the body with no finding DNA samples and confirmation from subsequent of kin.
The delegation incorporates Ri Tong Il, former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, who told reporters Tuesday outdoors the North Korean Embassy that the diplomats have been in Malaysia to seek the retrieval of the physique and the release of a North Korean arrested in the case. He said the delegation also seeks the “improvement of friendly relationships” in between North Korea and Malaysia.
Malaysia has confirmed that the victim of the attack is Kim Jong Nam, half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea, on the other hand, has identified the victim only as a North Korean national with a diplomatic passport.
The killing of Kim Jong Nam took place amid crowds of travelers at Kuala Lumpur’s airport and appeared to be a effectively-planned hit. Malaysian authorities say North Koreans place the deadly nerve agent VX on the hands of two ladies who then placed the toxin on Kim’s face. Kim died on the way to a hospital, inside about 20 minutes of the attack.
Malaysian Lawyer General Mohamed Apandi Ali mentioned Tuesday in a text message to The Associated Press that the two women accused of killing Kim Jong Nam — Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong — will be charged with murder Wednesday and would face a mandatory death sentence if convicted.
Two other suspects in the killing have been arrested: a Malaysian who is out on bail and a North Korean who remains in custody. Asked if the North Korean will be charged, Apandi mentioned it depends on the outcome of the investigations.
Authorities are in search of one more seven North Korean suspects, 4 of whom fled the country the day of Kim’s death and are believed to be back in North Korea.
South Korean lawmakers mentioned Monday that the country’s National Intelligence Service told them in a private briefing that four of the North Koreans identified as suspects are from the Ministry of State Safety, the North’s spy organ.
Kim Jong Nam was estranged from Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
He had been heading to Macau, where he has a household, when he was killed.
Isolated North Korea has a extended history of ordering killings of men and women it views as threats to its regime. Kim Jong Nam was not identified to be searching for political energy he was very best identified for his penchants for drinking, gambling and highly-priced restaurants. But his position as eldest son of the family members that has ruled North Korea given that it was founded could have produced him appear to be a danger.
Malaysia continues to seek DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam’s instant loved ones. He is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two females living in Beijing and Macau.
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