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Mystery still surrounds Kim Jung-nam assassination

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<p style='text-align: left;'>A local newspaper in Malaysia carrying the photos of two female suspects of the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on the front page, is seen at the main gate of the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Friday. North Korean diplomats have not replied to questions from journalists gathered there since the murder was first reported Tuesday. / Yonhap</span><br /><br />

A local newspaper in Malaysia carrying the photos of two female suspects of the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on the front page, is seen at the main gate of the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Friday. North Korean diplomats have not replied to questions from journalists gathered there since the murder was first reported Tuesday. / Yonhap


By Kim Hyo-jin

It still remains unclear who was behind the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, despite rampant speculation that the young leader might have ordered the murder.

The mystery deepened after it was revealed that two female suspects detained in Malaysia were not North Koreans, according to their travel documents.

Siti Aisyah, an Indonesian, 25, who was caught Thursday, insisted she did not know Kim Jong-nam. She claimed she attacked him because she thought it was a prank, the Telegraph reported, quoting Indonesian news-site Kumpuran.

Someone approached her at a nightclub where she worked as a hostess, offering $100 to help with the stunt, she claimed.

Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese citizen, 29, gave a similar explanation. She claimed that four men whom she met at Kuala Lumpur International Airport suggested a prank on passengers and that she did not know Kim was the target.

Malaysian police believe the two women and four male suspects on the run could be hired killers, according to the local Dongfang Ribao daily.

The investigation into the four male suspects should provide clues about whether North Korea was behind the assassination, observers say.

Speculation is growing that one male suspect is a North Korean agent, affiliated with the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea's spy agency.

Malaysian Federal Police Special Branch director Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun fed such speculation in an interview with the New Straits Times.

"We have reason to believe that this might be the work of foreign agents. There are definitely other individuals involved, apart from the two assailants," he said.

It remains to be seen how Malaysian authorities will proceed. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reportedly said it was mere speculation that North Korea was behind the killing. He said the assassination would not affect ties between the countries.

Some observers question whether Malaysian authorities will do their utmost to solve the murder, because of Malaysia's diplomatic relations with North Korea. Malaysia has taken a neutral diplomatic line between the two Koreas, and is viewed as having close ties to the isolated country with mutually allowed no-visa entry.

Malaysian authorities conducted an autopsy on Kim, Thursday, and his body is being held at Kuala Lumpur Hospital. The autopsy results have not been released.

Kim, the estranged half-brother of the North Korean leader, died after being sprayed with what is believed to be a toxic liquid by the two women at the airport Monday.




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