North Korea’s ambassador to Malaysia faced a deadline to leave the country Monday after authorities here declared him «persona non…
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia —
North Korea’s ambassador to Malaysia faced a deadline to leave the country Monday after authorities here declared him “persona non grata” and accused Pyongyang of trying to manipulate the investigation into the poisoning of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader’s half brother, at a Kuala Lumpur airport.
The Malaysian government on Saturday gave Ambassador Kang Chol 48 hours to leave the country after he refused to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia’s handling of the investigation into the Feb 13 killing.
“I think we have given a clear message to the North Korean government that we are serious about solving this problem and we do not want (the investigation) to be manipulated,” Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted as saying Sunday by Malaysian national news agency Bernama.
The death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysian authorities said Kim died within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction.
North Korea has rejected Malaysia’s autopsy finding that VX killed Kim.
