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| CCTV footage, released by Japan's TBS TV, shows the moment when Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was poisoned by two women at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Feb. 13, and Kim telling airport officials about the attack before collapsing. / Yonhap |
Acting President and Prime minister Hwang calls assassination ‘inhumane criminal act'
By Jun Ji-hye
It seems "certain" that the North Korean regime was behind the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of its leader Kim Jong-un, in Malaysia last week, acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Monday.
During a National Security Council (NSC) Standing Committee meeting he convened at the government complex in Seoul, Hwang described the apparent assassination as an "unacceptable, inhumane criminal act."
Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was killed after being attacked with poison by two women as he waited to board a flight at a Kuala Lumpur airport, Feb. 13.
"If we put together the announcement by Malaysian authorities and various pieces of information and circumstances, it appears that the North Korean regime is behind this incident," Hwang said.
Hwang, who took over as acting president following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye in December for a corruption scandal, said the incident showed the Kim regime's brutality and imprudence, directing government officials to seek international cooperation in having Pyongyang pay for its "act of terrorism."
He also called officials to keenly monitor the possibility of the reclusive state committing terrorist acts on South Korean people, urging officials to make full preparation through cooperation between relevant organizations including the counterterrorism center.
Malaysian police have so far arrested three suspects including a North Korean man, identified as Ri Jong-chol, and the two women — one identified as Vietnamese by documents and the other as Indonesian.
The police announced Sunday that they have identified four more North Korean nationals as suspects in the case, who reportedly left the Southeast Asian country on the day of the incident and arrived in their home country, Feb. 17. The four entered Pyongyang via three cities — Jakarta, Dubai and Vladivostok — in an apparent effort to cause confusion in the police investigation, according to The Star, a Malaysian news outlet.
Police noted that investigators are also chasing three more North Korean nationals believed to have been involved in the case, adding that Kim Jong-nam was killed by poison but further investigation was necessary to determine what kind was used.
The police announcement strongly indicated that Pyongyang was behind Kim's death, but Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim said he could not yet conclude that Kim was killed by North Korean agents.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned North Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol, Monday, to seek an explanation of the accusations he made against the Malaysian government in his press conference, Feb. 17. At the time, Kang told reporters that the Malaysian government had "something to conceal," alleging that Malaysia was "colluding and playing to the gallery of external forces." He also said North Korea would categorically reject Malaysia's autopsy report on the death of Kim.
The ministry said in a statement issued after the summoning that its government views the criticism made by the ambassador as "baseless" and that it takes very seriously any unfounded attempt to tarnish its reputation.
The ministry emphasized, "As the death occurred on Malaysian soil under mysterious circumstances, it is the responsibility of the Malaysian government to conduct an investigation to identify the cause of death. This investigation has been conducted in the manner prescribed by Malaysian law."
Malaysia's health ministry noted, also on Monday, that it would announce its autopsy report on the death of Kim on Wednesday at the earliest.
