Malaysia expels diplomat over assassination probe

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia said it expelled North Korea’s ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologize for his accusations over Malaysia’s handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader’s half brother.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a notice was sent to the North Korean Embassy at 6 p.m. declaring Ambassador Kang Chol persona non grata. The notice said Kang must leave Malaysia within 48 hours.

Earlier in the week, Malaysia demanded that North Korea formally apologize for Kang’s accusations over the investigation into the Feb. 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur’s airport, including that “the Malaysian government had something to hide and that Malaysia has colluded with outside powers to defame” North Korea, Anifah said in a statement.

He said no apology had come and none appeared forthcoming, and that North Korean Embassy officials also failed to turn up for a meeting Saturday at the foreign ministry, so Malaysia decided to expel the ambassador.

“It should be made clear — Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation,” Anifah said.

The death of Kim, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Authorities said Kim was killed within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction.

Kang’s expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visafree entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Anifah had said this was an “indication of the government’s concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities.”

Earlier Saturday, a North Korean chemist deported from Malaysia accused police of threatening to kill his family unless he confessed to killing Kim. Ri Jong Chol, who was released after police said there was insufficient evidence to charge him, spoke to reporters in Beijing while on his way to Pyongyang.

Ri said he wasn’t at the airport the day Kim was killed, but that police accused him of being a mastermind and presented him with “fake evidence.” He said they showed him a picture of his wife and two children, who were staying with him in Kuala Lumpur, and threatened to kill them.

Ri was detained four days after Kim died, but police never said what they believed his role in the attack was.