Detectives probing the assassination of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother want to question a North Korean diplomat, Malaysia’s top policeman said on Wednesday.
Investigators have put five North Koreans in the frame for last week’s brazen killing of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and have said they are seeking three more for questioning, AFP reported.
“They include the embassy’s second secretary, Hyon Kwang-song, as well as a North Korean airline employee called Kim Uk-il,” Malaysian Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters.
“We have written to the ambassador to allow us to interview both of them. We hope that the Korean Embassy will cooperate with us and allow us to interview them quickly. If not, we will compel them to come to us.”
Jong-nam died on February 13 after being attacked as he waited for a plane to Macau. Seoul has said from the start that Pyongyang was behind the murder, citing a “standing order” from Jong-Un to kill his elder sibling and a failed assassination bid in 2012.
Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur have been at daggers drawn over the attack, with North Korea’s envoy insisting Jong-Nam’s body be returned and objecting to an autopsy.
Malaysia rejected the request, saying the remains must stay in the morgue until a family member identifies them and submits a DNA sample.
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