Video appears to show attack
Malaysia recalls its ambassador to NK
KUALA LUMPUR: Security camera footage obtained by Japanese television appears to show a careful and deliberate attack last week on the exiled half brother of North Korea’s ruler, while Malaysia said yesterday it had recalled its ambassador to North Korea amid rising tensions between the nations.
The footage, obtained by Fuji TV and often grainy and blurred, seems to show two women approaching Kim Jong-nam from different directions as he stands at a ticketing kiosk at the budget terminal of the Kuala Lumpur airport. One — apparently a Vietnamese woman now under arrest — comes up behind him and appears to hold something over his mouth for a few seconds.
Then the women turn and calmly walk off in different directions. More footage shows Kim, a long-estranged scion of the family that has ruled North Korea for three generations, walking up to airport workers and security officials, gesturing at his eyes and seemingly asking for help. He then walks alongside as they lead him to the airport clinic.
Fuji TV has not revealed how it acquired the video footage, which was taken by a series of security cameras as Kim arrived for a flight to Macau, where he had a home. Kim died shortly after the attack, en route to a hospital, Malaysian officials say.
North Korea’s top envoy in Kuala Lumpur yesterday denounced Malaysia’s investigation into the apparent killing, calling it politically motivated and demanding a joint probe into the death.
The comments from Ambassador Kang Chol came amid rising tensions between North Korea and Malaysia over the death, with Malaysia recalling its ambassador to Pyongyang over what it called “baseless” allegations.
Pyongyang demanded custody of Kim’s body and strongly objected to an autopsy. The Malaysians still went ahead; an official with knowledge of the investigation said they conducted a second autopsy because the first was inconclusive, though police denied that. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Malaysian authorities say they were simply following procedures, but Mr Kang questioned their motives.
“The investigation by the Malaysian police is not for the clarification of the cause of the death and search for the suspect, but it is out of the political aim,” Ambassador Kang told reporters yesterday. He referred to the dead man as “Kim Chol”, the name on the passport found with Kim.
Police had “pinned the suspicion on us”, Mr Kang said, calling on Malaysia and the international community to work with North Korea on a joint investigation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters later yesterday he has “absolute confidence” that police and doctors have been “very objective” in their work. He said Malaysia had no reason to “paint the North Koreans in a bad light” but added: “We expect them to understand that we apply the rule of law in Malaysia.”
Mr Kang previously said Malaysia may be “trying to conceal something”. Yesterday, the Malaysian foreign ministry said it had recalled its ambassador to Pyongyang “for consultations” and had summoned Mr Kang to a meeting, “to seek an explanation on the accusations he made”.
The statement called Mr Kang’s comments “baseless” and said it “takes very seriously any unfounded attempt to tarnish its reputation”.
The Malaysian foreign ministry has said the government has kept the North Korean embassy informed, telling them because “the death occurred in Malaysian soil under mysterious circumstances, it is the responsibility of the Malaysian Government to conduct an investigation to identify the cause of death”.
Police investigating the killing have so far arrested four people carrying identity documents from North Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Those arrested include two women who were allegedly seen approaching Kim on Feb 13 as he stood at a ticketing kiosk at the budget terminal of the Kuala Lumpur airport.
Malaysia’s deputy national police chief, Noor Rashid Ibrahim, said on Sunday that Kim had told airport customer service workers that “two unidentified women had swabbed or had wiped his face with a liquid and that he felt dizzy”.
Investigators are still looking for four North Korean men who arrived in Malaysia on different days beginning Jan 31 and flew out the same day as the attack. Mr Noor Rashid wouldn’t disclose where they are but said Interpol was helping with the investigation.
Indonesian officials said three of those men transited through Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after the apparent assassination, leaving on a 10.20pm flight to Dubai. That was about 12 hours after the attack on Kim.
Police also want to question three other people. Mr Noor Rashid said one was North Korean, but that police had not yet identified the other two. It was not clear if they were suspects or simply wanted for questioning.
Autopsy results on Kim could be released as early as tomorrow, said Health Minister S Subramaniam.
Investigators want to speak to Kim’s next of kin to formally identify the body. He is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau.
“We haven’t met the next of kin,” Mr Noor Rashid said. “We are trying very hard to get the next of kin to come and to assist us in the investigation.”
Mr Noor Rashid said charges against the four suspects in custody would be determined by prosecutors.
According to police, the Indonesian woman is a spa masseuse and the Malaysian man, a caterer, is believed to be her boyfriend. The Vietnamese woman works at an entertainment outlet and the North Korean man works in the information technology department of a Malaysian company.
The Indonesian woman has told investigators that she was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank.