Kim’s body still in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur – Six weeks after the airport assassination of Kim Jong-Nam, Malaysia yesterdayday said it was still waiting for family to claim the body, denying rumours it had been sent back to Pyongyang.

The half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un was allegedly poisoned with the lethal nerve agent VX in a brazen Cold War-style assassination on February 13 in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“There have been a lot of rumours that the body was cremated but we would not do this without the responsible parties giving us directives or agreement,” said Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam. There has been speculation that Kuala Lumpur had done a deal with Pyongyang to send the body to North Korea, in exchange for the return of nine Malaysians being prevented from leaving North Korea.

Other reports had suggested the corpse would be transported to Macau, where Kim had been living with his family.

“The body is still in the morgue at Hospital Kuala Lumpur,” Subramaniam said, adding it would remain there until the government had decided what to do. –