Kim Jong-Nam’s murder politically motivated, says N Korean envoy, calls for joint probe

North Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol speaks during a news conference at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)

The controversy over the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un’s half brother Kim Jong-Nam has escalated further as North Korean ambassador Kang Chol said that Malaysian investigation into Jong-Nam’s death is politically motivated. Chol has called for a joint probe into the alleged assassination. A few hours earlier, it was reported that Malaysia has recalled its ambassador to North Korea in view of its investigation in the murder pointing to North Korean leadership’s involvement. Pyongyang had demanded that the body be sent back to North Korea but the request was denied by Malaysian officials. North Korea hit back by saying that the country was “colluding with corrupt forces.”

The ambassador also denounced South Korea saying its southern neighbour was putting Malaysia under pressure so as to tarnish the relationship between the two countries.

Jong-Nam was attacked by two women at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last week who seem to have poisoned him just before he was to board a flight to Macau. The poison seems to have acted fast as Jong-Nam died on the way to the hospital. Autopsy reports, however, have failed to nail the exact nature of the poison, even as Seoul has ruled out further autopsies.

Kim Jong-Nam, the exiled half-sibling of the dictator, had been on Jong-Un’s hit list since a long time, reports suggest. According to sources, the former was allegedly assassinated due to his public views denouncing the leadership of his family ruling the country with an iron fist.