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South Korea's Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will hold a National Security Council (NSC) meeting to discuss the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, his office said.
The NSC Standing Committee session, which is to begin at 8:50 a.m., will bring together top security and diplomatic officials, including the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and unification, and the head of the National Intelligence Service.
Kim Jong-nam was assassinated Monday in Malaysia, an informed source has said without revealing any further details.
Malaysian police officials were quoted in news reports as saying that the 45-year-old Kim was attacked with an apparently toxic chemical spray at a Kuala Lumpur airport and died while being taken to a hospital. He was waiting for a flight to Macau when the attack happened, the officials said.
Many observers believe that the assassination is part of the North Korean leader's efforts to get rid of potential risks to his autocratic rule and further consolidate his power. Kim's deceased half brother had been an outspoken critic of the dictatorial regime. (Yonhap)
