Malaysian police ask N. Korean embassy for permission to question persons of interest

We begin tonight with the investigation into the apparent murder of the North Korean leader's
half brother Kim Jong-nam.
The Malaysian authorities have requested assistance from the North Korean embassy in locating
two persons of interest still thought to be in the country.
But with North Korea digging their heels in further to deny any involvement, cooperation
could be difficult.
Kwon Jang-ho has this report.
The Malaysian police have sent official requests to the North Korean embassy to question the
two persons of interest named at a press conference on Wednesday.
The first is Hyon Kwang Song, the embassy's second secretary, while the other is Kim Uk-il,
who works for the North Korean airline Air Koryo.
The police said an arrest warrant could be issued if the two men do not volunteer themselves,
but Hyon is said to be protected under diplomatic immunity.
Reuters - 4108 "Whether we are going to charge anybody, that
is a different question, but the investigation is ongoing so this is part of the investigation.
Well, if you have nothing to hide, you don't have to be afraid.
You should cooperate."
Earlier on Thursday, however, a North Korean embassy official claimed they had not received
any notification about the investigation from the Malaysian authorities.
AP - 4082518 "We haven't received any requests to cooperate
in the probe.
They just sent us documents and arrested North Korean people.
That's it.
We strongly protest this situation."
He added that all accusations against their diplomats were lies and denied any involvement.
North Korean media also issued their first acknowledgement and rebuke of the incident
on Thursday.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that a North Korean citizen with a diplomatic
passport had died of a heart attack last Monday,... but said that the South Korean government
was leading the Malaysian authorities in a "conspiratorial racket" to accuse the regime
of assassination.
It also condemned the Malaysian authorities for performing an unnecessary autopsy, which
it said violated North Korea's sovereignty and was an act against human ethics and morality.
The Malaysian authorities have said the initial reports from the autopsy ruled out a heart
attack, but the cause of death is yet to be determined, with the toxicology results still
to come.
The official identification of Kim's body is also still pending, with no family members
having come forward to verify the body with a DNA match.
Malaysia's police chief denied reports from earlier in the day that agents had been sent
to Macau to find Kim's family, but did not rule out this option for the future.
Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News.

Malaysian police ask N. Korean embassy for permission to question persons of interest

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