North Korea\u2019s top envoy in Kuala Lumpur on Monday denounced Malaysia\u2019s investigation into the apparent killing of the exiled half brother of North Korea\u2019s ruler, calling it politically motivated and demanding a joint probe into the death.<\/b>
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) \u2014 North Korea \u2019s top envoy in Kuala Lumpur on Monday denounced Malaysia\u2019s investigation into the apparent killing of the exiled half brother of North Korea \u2019s ruler, calling it politically motivated and demanding a joint probe into the death.
The comments from Ambassador Kang Chol came amid rising tensions between North Korea and Malaysia over the death, with Malaysia recalling its ambassador to Pyongyang over what it called \u201cbaseless\u201d allegations.
Kim Jong-nam , the estranged half brother of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un, died last week after apparently being poisoned in a Kuala Lumpur airport. Security camera footage obtained by Japanese television appeared to show a careful and deliberate attack in which a woman comes up from behind him and holds something over his mouth.
Pyongyang demanded custody of Kim \u2019s body and strongly objected to an autopsy. The Malaysians still went ahead; an official with knowledge of the investigation said they conducted a second autopsy because the first was inconclusive, though police denied that. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Malaysian authorities say they were simply following procedures, but Kang questioned their motives.
\u201cThe investigation by the Malaysian police is not for the clarification of the cause of the death and search for the suspect, but it is out of the political aim,\u201d Ambassador Kang Chol told reporters Monday. He referred to the dead man as \u201cKim Chol,\u201d the name on the passport found with Kim Jong-nam.
Police had \u201cpinned the suspicion on us,\u201d Kang said, calling on Malaysia to work with North Korea on a joint investigation.
Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters later Monday that he has \u201cabsolute confidence\u201d that police and doctors have been \u201cvery objective\u201d in their work.
Najib said Malaysia had no reason to \u201cpaint the North Koreans in a bad light\u201d but added, \u201cWe expect them to understand that we apply the rule of law in Malaysia.\u201d
Kang previously said Malaysia may be \u201ctrying to conceal something.\u201d On Monday, the Malaysian foreign ministry said it had recalled its ambassador to Pyongyang \u201cfor consultations\u201d and had summoned Kang to a meeting, \u201cto seek an explanation on the accusations he made.\u201d
The statement called Kang \u2019s comments \u201cbaseless\u201d and said it \u201ctakes very seriously any unfounded attempt to tarnish its reputation.\u201d
Police investigating the killing have so far arrested four people carrying identity documents from North Korea , Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Those arrested include two women who were allegedly seen approaching Kim on Feb. 13 as he stood at a ticketing kiosk at the budget terminal of the Kuala Lumpur airport.
Surveillance video footage, obtained by Fuji TV and often grainy and blurred, seems to show the two women approaching Kim Jong-nam from different directions. One comes up behind him and appears to hold something over his mouth for a few seconds.
Then the women turn and calmly walk off in different directions. More footage shows Kim , a long-estranged scion of the family that has ruled North Korea for three generations, walking up to airport workers and security officials, gesturing at his eyes and seemingly asking for help. He then walks alongside as they lead him to the airport clinic.
Fuji TV has not revealed how it acquired the video footage, which was taken by a series of security cameras as Kim arrived for a flight to Macau, where he had a home.
Kim , in his mid-40s, died shortly after the attack, en route to a hospital after suffering a seizure, Malaysian officials say.
Malaysia\u2019s deputy national police chief, Noor Rashid Ibrahim, said Sunday that Kim had told airport customer service workers that \u201ctwo unidentified women had swabbed or had wiped his face with a liquid and that he felt dizzy.\u201d
Investigators are still looking for four North Korean men who arrived in Malaysia on different days beginning Jan. 31 and flew out the same day as the attack.
\u201cI am not going disclose where they are,\u201d Noor Rashid told a room packed with journalists. He said Interpol was helping with the investigation.
The four suspects, who range in age from their early 30s to late 50s, were traveling on regular \u2014 not diplomatic \u2014 passports, he said.
Indonesian officials said three of those men transited through Jakarta\u2019s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after the apparent assassination, leaving on a 10:20 p.m. flight to Dubai. That was about 12 hours after the attack on Kim Jong-nam.
Dubai police and the Dubai government media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. State-owned airline Emirates declined to comment, citing policies on passenger confidentiality.
Police also want to question three other people. Noor Rashid said one was North Korean, but that police had not yet identified the other two. It was not clear if they were suspects or simply wanted for questioning.
Autopsy results on Kim Jong-nam could be released as early as Wednesday, said Health Minister S. Subramaniam.
Investigators want to speak to Kim Jong-nam \u2019s next of kin to formally identify the body. He is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau.
\u201cWe haven\u2019t met the next of kin,\u201d Noor Rashid said. \u201cWe are trying very hard to get the next of kin to come and to assist us in the investigation.\u201d
Noor Rashid said charges against the four suspects in custody would be determined by prosecutors.
According to police, the Indonesian woman is a spa masseuse and the Malaysian man, a caterer, is believed to be her boyfriend. The Vietnamese woman works at an entertainment outlet and the North Korean man works in the information technology department of a Malaysian company.
The Indonesian woman has told investigators that she was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.
The Malaysian foreign ministry said the government has kept the North Korean Embassy informed, telling them that because \u201cthe death occurred in Malaysian soil under mysterious circumstances, it is the responsibility of the Malaysian Government to conduct an investigation to identify the cause of death.\u201d
South Korea has been quick to blame North Korea for the death of Kim Jong-nam , who as the eldest son of the late dictator Kim Jong Il was once widely seen as the ruler-in-waiting of the isolated nation. However, he fell out of favor more than a decade ago, and has spent most of his time since then living in China or Southeast Asia.
The attack \u201cshowed the reckless and brutal nature of the North Korean government,\u201d Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Monday during a National Security Council meeting.
A later statement from Hwang\u2019s office said South Korea will cooperate with the international community to make an unspecified \u201cstrong\u201d response to North Korea over the killing.
___
Associated Press writers Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo, Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
Copyright \u00a9 2017 The Washington Times, LLC.
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