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Senior North Korean Diplomat Is Sought in Death of Kim Jong-nam Senior North Korean Diplomat Is Sought in Death of Kim Jong-nam
(35 minutes later)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Malaysian police said on Wednesday that a senior diplomat in the North Korean embassy was wanted for questioning in the killing of Kim Jong-nam, pointing to possible government involvement in the fatal poisoning of the estranged half brother of Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Malaysian police said on Wednesday that a senior diplomat in the North Korean Embassy was wanted for questioning in the fatal poisoning of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader, pointing to possible government involvement in his death.
At a news conference in which investigators gave their fullest public account of the killing, the police also said the attackers had been trained to wipe toxins on Kim Jong-nam’s face and then wash their hands. At a news conference in which investigators gave their fullest public account to date of the killing, the police also said the attackers had been trained to wipe toxins on Kim Jong-nam’s face and then wash their hands.
The revelations are sure to escalate pressure on North Korea over the killing at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, which South Korea has branded “a terrorist attack,” and to further inflame Malaysia’s relations with the North. Pyongyang has refused to acknowledge that the man killed was Kim Jong-nam and has accused Malaysia of carrying out a politically motivated investigation. The revelations are sure to escalate pressure on North Korea over the killing at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, which South Korea has branded a terrorist attack. Evidence of state involvement in Mr. Kim’s death could pressure the United States to put the North back on its list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
Khalid Abu Bakar, the police inspector general, said on Wednesday that North Korean officers had put toxins on the hands of the two female attackers, one of whom has been identified as Vietnamese and the other Indonesian. Khalid Abu Bakar, Malaysia’s police inspector general, said Wednesday that North Korean citizens had put toxins on the hands of the two female attackers, one of whom has been identified as Vietnamese and the other as Indonesian. He said they had rehearsed the plot at two local shopping malls.
He said seven North Koreans were now suspected of being involved in the attack, with four having fled to their homeland and two others — the embassy official, identified as the second secretary at the embassy, and an employee of the North Korean airline Air Koryo — still believed to be in Malaysia. “The two female suspects knew that the substance they had were toxic,” he said, undercutting recent reports that the women had thought they were carrying out a prank. “We don’t know what kind of chemical was used.”
North Korea has identified Kim Jong-nam as Kim Chol, saying he held a diplomatic passport and rejecting Malaysia’s efforts to involve the victim’s family in identifying the body. Mr. Khalid said that four North Koreans suspected of being involved in the attack were believed to have fled to their homeland and that three others — the embassy official, identified as Hyon Kwang Song, the second secretary at the embassy; an employee of the North Korean airline, Air Koryo; and a third person — were still believed to be in Malaysia.
North Korea has called the Malaysian investigation into the killing and the autopsy politically motivated. “They’re not in custody,” he said of the three. “They’ve been called in for assistance.”
“We hope that the Korean Embassy will cooperate with us, allow us to interview them and interview them quickly,” he said. “If not, we will compel them to come to us.”
The embassy had no immediate response.
The developments are sure to further inflame Malaysia’s relations with the North. North Korea has refused to even acknowledge that the man killed was Kim Jong-nam and has accused Malaysia of carrying out a politically motivated investigation.
North Korea has rejected any assertion that the victim was the half brother of its leader, Kim Jong-un, identifying the dead man as Kim Chol, saying he held a diplomatic passport and rejecting Malaysia’s efforts to involve the victim’s family in identifying the body.
North Korea has demanded that its government take part in the inquiry.
The fate of the body itself has become a point of contention. North Korea has demanded that it be sent to the embassy, while Malaysian officials say they will release the body only after it is identified by Kim Jong-nam’s next of kin. Mr. Kim’s relatives live in the semiautonomous Chinese territory of Macau, where Mr. Kim was heading at the time of his death.
Mr. Khalid, the police official, said there had been an attempted break-in at the morgue where the body was being held.