Malaysia: Ambassador’s Ban is a Warning to North Korea
Malaysia says its expulsion of North Korea’s ambassador was intended to warn Pyongyang that it cannot manipulate the investigation into the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s estranged half brother.
The government on Saturday gave Ambassador Kang Chol 48 hours to leave the country after he refused to apologise for his strong accusations over Malaysia’s handling of the investigation into the February 13 killing of Kim Jongnam at Kuala Lumpur’s airport. “I think we have given a clear message to the North Korean Government that we are serious about solving this problem and we do not want [the investigation] to be manipulated,” Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted as saying by Malaysian national news agency Bernama. The death of Kim Jong-nam has unleashed a diplomatic battle between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysian authorities said Kim Jong-nam died within 20 minutes after two women smeared his face with VX, a banned nerve agent considered a weapon of mass destruction. North Korea has rejected Malaysia’s autopsy finding that VX killed him.
Mr Kang has accused the Malaysian government of trying to hide something and said it colluded with outside powers to defame North Korea.
Mr Kang’s expulsion came just days after Malaysia said it would scrap visa-free entry for North Koreans and expressed concern over the use of the nerve agent. Ri Tong-il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said Kim Jong-nam probably died of a heart attack because he suffered from heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Two women — one Indonesian, one Vietnamese — have been charged with murder in the case, although both reportedly say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank. Authorities released a North Korean chemist from custody on Saturday due to a lack of evidence to charge him and deported him on the same day.