North Korea special envoys arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday (February 28) to meet the Malaysian government after the assassination of the estranged half-brother of leader Kim Jong Un.
U.S. and South Korean officials believe Kim Jong Nam was the victim of an assassination orchestrated by North Korea. He had criticized the regime of his family and his half-brother Kim Jong Un in the past and had been living in exile, under Beijing's protection, in the Chinese territory of Macau.
The investigation into the killing, and Malaysia's refusal to hand over the body to North Korea before it is officially identified by the victim's next of kin, has caused a diplomatic rift between two hitherto friendly governments.
Ri Tong Il, former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said he will discuss a number of "humanitarian issues" with the Malaysian government.
"Number one, the question of return of the body of the decease DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) citizen who died in Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Airport on the 13th of February," Ri told reporters in front of the embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
"Number two, the question of the release of the DPRK citizen arrested by Malaysian police related to the above incident. Number three, the development of the friendly relations between the DPRK and the Malaysian government," he added.
Malaysian police have said that two women smeared VX nerve agent, a chemical on a U.N. list of weapons of mass destruction, on Kim Jong Nam's face in an assault recorded on airport security cameras on February 13.
A North Korean, Ri Jong Chol, is also under police custody over his alleged involvement in the murder. Malaysian attorney general Mohamed Apandi Ali said Ri will not be charged yet. His remand ends on Friday (March 3).
Two other suspects, Indonesian Siti Aishah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, are expected to be formally charged on Wednesday (March 1), facing charge that could carry death penalty, attorney general said.
Malaysian police is also pursuing eight other suspects.
Reuters
Tue Feb 28 2017
Kim Jong Nam was killed earlier this month at a Malaysian airport by assassins using VX nerve agent. - FILEpic
Ringgit susut berbanding dolar AS pada sesi awal
Pada 9 pagi, ringgit merosot kepada 4.7715/7810 berbanding mata wang Amerika Syarikat (AS) daripada 4.7650/7710 pada Jumaat.
Guna semula bangunan pawagam lama, bangkit suasana klasik
Ia bukan sahaja mampu menarik ramai pelancong tetapi juga mampu memulihara bangunan warisan yang masih elok dan ditatap oleh generasi kini.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: PM Anwar jumpa 50 pemimpin industri, perniagaan global
PM yakin lebih banyak pelabur bernilai tinggi akan pilih Malaysia sebagai destinasi pelaburan.
Dipaksa bersalin normal, kepala bayi songsang terputus
Bahagian kemaluannya juga terkoyak teruk dan dijahit sebarangan oleh staf Rumah Sakit Banjarmasin.
AWANI Ringkas: Tangani isu ketidaksamaan & marginalisasi
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
AWANI Pagi: Twincity Marathon rai golongan kelainan upaya (OKU)
Perbezaan fizikal tidak melunturkan semangat golongan kelainan upaya (OKU) untuk menyertai acara larian Twincity Marathon anjuran Ten Senses di Cyberjaya pada Ahad.
Menurut Ketua Penasihat Ten Senses Sdn Bhd, Datuk Najib Ibrahim, komuniti itu juga merupakan sebahagian dari masyarakat dan semangat mereka boleh dijadikan teladan kepada masyarakat.
Menurut Ketua Penasihat Ten Senses Sdn Bhd, Datuk Najib Ibrahim, komuniti itu juga merupakan sebahagian dari masyarakat dan semangat mereka boleh dijadikan teladan kepada masyarakat.
Kanak-kanak Malaysia tidak cukup belajar di sekolah - Laporan Bank Dunia
Hanya 58 peratus pelajar di Malaysia didapati mahir membaca menjelang akhir Darjah 5.
Protes di universiti AS tidak tunjuk tanda perlahan
Dalam dua minggu lalu, protes pro-Palestin telah merebak ke kampus kolej utama di seluruh AS.
37 juta tan serpihan runtuhan di Gaza - UNMAS
Terdapat juga sejumlah besar senjata api yang tidak meletup tertimbus di dalam runtuhan yang menimbulkan risiko kepada kerja pembersihan.
Legenda EPL puji padang SNBJ
Pemain Manchester Reds dan Liverpool Reds memuji keadaan rumput yang cantik dan bersedia untuk kembali beraksi pada masa akan datang.
Justice compromised is justice chastised
What was the actual issue behind the public's uproar over the recent viral video showing the legal fraternity's top guns doing 'The Twist' at a private event? Alan Razak explains.