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MALAYSIAN POLICE HAVE arrested a North Korean man over the assassination of Kim Jong-Un’s brother, as relations between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur nosedived in a battle for his body.
A 46-year-old was arrested on yesterday evening with documents that identified him as North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol, a police statement said, making him the first person from the North to be detained over the case.
Kim Jong-Nam died after an as-yet unidentified liquid was sprayed in his face at Kuala Lumpur international airport on Monday, in an attack Seoul says was carried out by female agents from Pyongyang.
Local officers have already arrested a woman with a Vietnamese passport and a Malaysian man, as well as an Indonesian woman who foreign police said could have got involved in the murder thinking it was a reality TV prank.
Jong-Nam’s body has been held in a Kuala Lumpur morgue since an autopsy on Wednesday, the results of which are still pending, according to Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah Mat.
After Malaysia ignored demands to return the remains, Pyongyang accused the Kuala Lumpur of conspiring with its enemies and said it would reject whatever results came from the post-mortem.
“The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing. We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance,” the North Korean ambassador told reporters gathered outside the morgue shortly before midnight last night.
The comments were the first official remarks from the country since the killing, but ambassador Kang Chol stopped short of identifying Jong-Nam or touching on his cause of death.
North Korean state media has remained silent on the murder.
The ambassador had met with Malaysian police, demanding the release of the body without success, according to an English transcript of the envoy’s comments distributed by an aide.
“They are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us of malice,” the transcript said, suggesting South Korea was trying to defame the North in a bid to distract from a corruption scandal at home.
A ‘TV show prank’
Today, Malaysia’s police chief has said Pyongyang would have to wait for the investigation to be completed, which would include a family member sending a DNA sample to identify the body.
“While in Malaysia, everyone has to obey and follow our rules and regulations… that includes North Korea,” Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told national news agency Bernama.
Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had enjoyed warm ties until the assassination, with a reciprocal visa-free deal for visitors — an unusual proposition for the reclusive North.
Before the arrest of the North Korean, detectives had detained a 25-year-old Indonesian woman named Siti Aishah and her Malaysian boyfriend, along with a woman carrying a Vietnamese passport that identified her as Doan Thi Huong, 28.
Indonesian Police Chief Tito Karnavian said he had information from Malaysia that Aishah was tricked into thinking she was simply taking part in pranks for a TV show.
“Probably she was just used — she did not realise it was an assassination attempt,” he was quoted as saying in local media.
The drama erupted on Monday morning as Jong-Nam prepared to board a plane to Macau. Malaysian police say the 45-year-old was jumped by two women who squirted a liquid in his face.
Jong-Nam told staff he was suffering from a headache and was taken to the airport clinic grimacing in pain, according to Malaysian media citing CCTV footage from the airport.
He was once thought to be the natural successor to his father, but on Kim Jong-Il’s death in 2011 the succession went to Kim Jong-Un, who was born to the former leader’s third wife.
Reports of purges and executions have emerged from the current regime as Jong-Un tries to strengthen his grip on power in the face of international pressure over nuclear and missile programmes.
South Korea has cited a “standing order” from Jong-Un to kill his sibling and a failed assassination bid in 2012 after he criticised the regime.
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“a woman who got involved in the murder because she thought it was a prank” jaysus.. I don’t know where to start with this
Kim and the Donald should meet up for coffee. I’m sure they’d have a lot in common.
Putin supplying the coffee?
Hopefully the coffee will have a healthy glow to it.
@David Vaughan: __ There’s nothing like a Poloniumuccino to make life worth living.
North Koreans must think the world is as crazy as them!
The North Koreans – great bunch of lads….
Lardarse may finally have bitten off more than he can stuff into his chubby face. The only reason for North Korea still existing is the fact that it has had the PRC standing behind it since his granddaddy first seized power. By assassinating a man nominally under Chinese protection, Lardarse has made a public mockery of them – there has to be a limit somewhere to Beijing’s willingness to shrug off Lardarse’s regular embarassments. Maybe he’s so drunk on power he genuinely believes he no longer needs the PRC – if so he may be in for a nasty surprise.
Id say you are into conspiracy theories are ya?
Hardly a conspiracy – the PRC’s backing of North Korea is open knowledge. They’ve been getting pretty pissed off in the last few years with Lardarse’s constant sabre-rattling, and now the latest mockery of their special relationship may be one of the final few nails in to go in its coffin. http://history105.libraries.wsu.edu/fall2014/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/08/cartoon.14.jpg
Im sorry now buddy but you have no clues about what you are on about. Copy and pasting articles from fake news websites doesnt validate your points either. Its very clear you are into conspiracy theories and you dont question what you read pal. Dont take me the wrong way, id say your a nice guy just grossly misinformed
So you’re saying that China don’t back North Korea? By the way just because you disagree with something you read doesn’t mean it’s from a fake news site. You’re starting to sound like the big orange muppet.
I never said China don’t back North Korea, how you got that idea into your head shows you also are into conspiracy theories that you read on these ‘sound’ websites. Agree with or disagree with what something ylu read doesnt make it real news either. Im starting to sound like an orange muppet? So what exactly are you saying? Im a protestant? Im a chatacter on sesame street? It doesnt make any sense what you are saying. Name calling doesnt enforce your point it makes you look silly. I thougt u had a good point until you proved you have no clues what you are on about and you like conspiracy theories also. Get informed buddy. Id say your a nice guy too, just very niave. Im not getting into a name calling match with you cause if we do. You will lose boy.
Err did you actually click on the link? It’s NOT an article, it’s just a little cartoon which I thought humourously illustrates the situation. It’s very clear from your clueless blundering you’re just throwing terms like ‘fake news’ and ‘conspiracy theory’ about without actually knowing what they mean. Stop wasting bandwidth and get back to your crayons.
They routinely make a mockery of Beijing. This is nothing new. Beijing’s usual response is simply to support UNSC resolutions sanctioning them (which they could choose to veto — like the US consistently does for certain countries)
Hmm they go on about imperialists and they have a jag as embassy car.
Worth about a grand at her age (15 years plus).
They’re dead right.
Just a case of food poisoning.
Kim Jong-Un got his media under control.
They all love him in North Korea; you’ll never see a bad word written about him or even questioning his authority.
Imagine if the Malaysians then deliberately announce that Jong Nam was not murdered and that North Korea is totally innocent…
Imagination is the core of someone that believes fake news articles and then goes on the journal to tell everyone about it. Again I would pay your a nice guy but believes everything you read. Im just tellling you question what you read. Be safe out there buddy. You are very niave
Get your retaliation in first
Jom Nang Gon!
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