North Korea Used VX Nerve Agent To Kill Leader’s Brother: US
The half-brother of Kim Jong-un was killed by a chemical attack in Malaysia on the orders of the North Korean government, the US has concluded.
Kim Jong-nam died after a bizarre encounter at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017, when two women smeared his face with VX nerve agent.
The women, who say they believed they were carrying out a prank for a TV show, are on trial for murder.
The US said it would impose new sanctions on North Korea in response.
“This public display of contempt for universal norms against chemical weapons use further demonstrates the reckless nature of North Korea and underscores that we cannot afford to tolerate a North Korean WMD program of any kind,” said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert. The US has consistently accused North Korea of being behind the attack on Kim Jong-nam. North Korea denies any involvement.
The new sanctions, which came into force on 5 March, are largely symbolic, joining a vast array of punitive economic measures the US has taken against North Korea. The announcement comes a day after a high-level South Korean delegation returned from Pyongyang where they had cordial meetings with Mr Kim. Capitalising on warmer ties after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Mr Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have arranged a landmark meeting for next month.
It would be the first such meeting for more than a decade and the first since Kim Jong-un took power in North Korea in 2011. US President Donald Trump has said the developments, including North Korea’s suggestion that it might discuss getting rid of its nuclear weapons, are positive” but might be a “false hope”.