Pyongyang ‘will reject Malaysia post-mortem’ on Kim

KUALA LUMPUR // North Korea’s ambassador to Malaysia yesterday said Pyongyang would reject any results of a post-mortem examination carried out by Kuala Lumpur on the body of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of the North Korean leader.

“The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing,” Kang Chol told reporters gathered outside the mortuary where the body is being held.

“We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance.”

It was the first official comment from North Korea since the killing of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport on Monday.

“Today I met with the high officer of the Malaysian police and strongly demanded he release the body without delay but he rejected our demand,” the ambassador said.

An English transcript of his comments made no reference to the identity of the North Korean who died.

Malaysian police said the body would not be released until a family member provided a DNA sample to prove the dead man’s identity.

Forensic specialists yesterday began testing samples from the body to try to determine the tox- in that was apparently sprayed in his face as he was about to board a plane earlier this week. The North Korean ambassador alleged that the Malaysian police were being pressured by hostile forces, notably South Korea, and said the autopsy was a breach of human rights.

Meanwhile, police said an Indonesian woman arrested over the assassination had been duped into taking part.

Siti Aisha, 25, was tricked into thinking she was simply taking part in pranks for a TV show like Just For Laughs, a popular hidden camera series, said Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian.

The North Korean ambassador said local police were being pressured by ‘hostile forces’, notably South Korea