Seoul condemns Kim's death as intolerable anti-human criminal act

By Park Sae-jin Posted : February 20, 2017, 11:00 Updated : February 20, 2017, 11:04
 

A CCTV footage showing a woman holding Kim Jong-nam from the back in an attempt to murder. [WondukWondeul YouTube channel]

 

South Korea condemned the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's estranged half-brother as an intolerable anti-human criminal act Monday after Malaysian police identified more North Koreans as suspects in an operation mobilizing South East Asian helpers.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who serves as acting head of state, said North Korea was behind the murder of Kim Jong-Nam who was killed at a Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13 after being attacked by two women using unidentified poison.

"This murder ... is an intolerable anti-human criminal act and terror," Hwang said at a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) involving top security-related officials.

"It clearly demonstrated the recklessness and cruelty of the North Korean regime which uses whatever means possible to stay in power," he said, calling for heightened vigilance on Pyongyang's possible terrorist attacks on South Koreans.

Police in Malaysia arrested a 47-year-old North Korean man identified as Ri Jong-chol, the fourth suspect held for involvement in the killing. The three other suspects in detention are a Vietnamese woman, an Indonesian woman and a Malaysian man.

So far, at least five North Koreans, including Ri who was registered as a foreign worker in his identification card issued by the Malaysian government, was known to have been involved.

Malaysian police said four more North Korean men left Malaysia on the day when Kim was killed. Singapore's Channel NewsAsia reported the four had already arrived in Pyongyang after traveling through Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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