Malaysian ambassador expelled by Pyongyang over investigation
Government orders envoy to leave the country in 48 hours
SEOUL // North Korea yesterday expelled Malaysia’s ambassador after its own envoy was ordered out of Kuala Lumpur.
It marked another stage in an increasingly bitter row over the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half- brother of North Korea’s leader, in Kuala Lumpur.
“The foreign ministry of North Korea notifies that the Malaysian ambassador to the DPRK is labelled as a persona non grata,” the North Korean state news agency said, demanding that the ambassador leave the country within 48 hours.
The KCNA report came shortly after the North’s ambassador Kang Chol flew home from Kuala Lumpur.
Before leaving, ambassador Kang fired a final salvo at Ma- laysia over its investigation into the assassination of Kim, describing the investigation as biased. Mr Kang disparaged what he called a “pretargeted investigation by the Malaysian police”. Malaysia’s ambassador to Pyongyang had already been recalled for consultations as the two countries traded barbs over an investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader’s half-brother with VX nerve agent last month.
Yesterday, Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said the decision to expel the North’s ambassador sent a clear message.
“It means that we are firm in defending our sovereignty and dignity,” Mr Najib said.
“Don’t ever insult our country and don’t try to cause disruptions here.”
Meanwhile, the lawyer of a Vietnamese woman accused of murdering Kim questioned Malaysia’s ability to assess the nerve agent used in the kill- ing and called for a second post- mortem examination. Kim was poisoned with a dose of VX, which is listed by the UN as a weapon of mass destruc- tion, after he arrived to board a flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last month.
Airport CCTV footage showed two women approaching the 45- year- old and smearing his face with a cloth.
Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam, have been charged with the murder and face the death penalty if found guilty.
Ms Huong’s lawyer yesterday suggested that Malaysia did not have the necessary expertise in the VX nerve agent.
“How is it that my client is accused of using VX nerve agent in her hand and applying it to the face of the deceased and not suffering any illness herself?” lawyer S Selvam said.
He also called for VX experts from Japan and Iraq to be involved in the findings, as well as “pathologists from North Korea”.
Diplomatic ties between the two countries strain over the assassination of North Korea leader’s halfbrother