Subramaniam dismisses claim Kim Chol died of heart attack

KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam yesterday confirmed the post mortem report on Kim Chol did not mention he died of a heart attack.

He said Malaysia’s forensic team had already dismissed North Korea’s claim that Kim Chol could have died of a heart attack.

“We are not sure which person or medical report they (North Korea) are referring to. Based on the post mortem findings there is no heart attack.

“But they (North Korea) are saying he died because of a heart attack. How come a person who has not done an autopsy or see the report can jump into that kind of conclusion,” he told reporters at Parliament lobby.

Dr Subramaniam, who was also Segamat Member of Parliament, was attending the first meeting of the fifth session of the 13th Parliament here.

He was responding to the North Korean embassy’s official spokesperson Ri Tongil who claimed that Kim Chol died of a heart attack and was not poisoned.

He, however, said the main challenge in Kim Chol’s case at the moment was to find the identification of the body and not the cause of the death.

Dr Subramaniam also stressed that the government was still waiting for the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to confirm the identification of the body.

It was reported that Kim Chol was waiting for his flight to Macau at klia2 on Feb 13 when two women suddenly wiped his face with a liquid which was later identified as the VX nerve agent.

The toxic chemical ethyl S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate or VX nerve agent, listed as a chemical weapon, was used in the murder of Kim Chol, widely reported to be Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader, Kim Jongun. - Bernama