Air aide hunt in Kim slay

An arrest warrant has been issued for a North Korean airline worker suspected of helping in the fatal poisoning of Kim Jong-nam, authorities said Friday.

Malaysian officials have threatened to issue the warrant if North Korea didn’t hand over Air Koryo employee Kim Uk-il, 37, who is wanted for questioning in the murder of the estranged halfbrother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13.

Uk-il is believed to be one of five people who carried out the plot, which included two female assassins spraying a deadly toxin in the face of the 45-year-old playboy. Uk-il works for North Ko- rea’s state-run airline.

Late last month, authorities believed the worker was being hidden inside Pyongyang’s embassy in Malaysia, sources told the Telegraph.

Malaysian authorities are now demanding information from Hyon Kwang-song, the second secretary at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, according to Bernama, the Malaysian national news agency.

Meanwhile, the only North Korean arrested in the case was set free Friday when Malaysian prosecutors failed to uncover any evidence of wrongdoing against him.

Still, authorities were quick to put Ri Jong-chol under heavy guard and move to deport him, CNN said. He also has already been placed on a blacklist of individuals barred from entering Malaysia again.

Ri will be flown to Beijing before he hops on a connecting flight to Pyongyang, according to Malaysian officials.

North Korea has furiously denied any connection to the slaying — and has even claimed that Kim Jong-nam may have died of a heart attack.

His two alleged female murderers, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, were charged with the killing in Malaysia last week. If convicted, they face death by hanging.

Both have told investigators they agreed to participate in the assassination only because they thought it was a prank.

Seven other persons of interest are still being sought for questioning.