Malaysian police have confirmed the North Korean citizen killed last month in Kuala Lumpur is Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters on Friday.
“We have fulfilled the requirement of the laws on his identification,” Abu Bakar said. He would not elaborate on how police confirmed Kim’s identity, citing the security and safety of “the witnesses.”
This is the first time police have officially confirmed the victim is indeed Kim Jong Nam. Bakar said police will now hand Kim’s body over to the Malaysian Health Ministry, because nobody has claimed it.
Kim was poisoned on February 13 with the highly lethal VX nerve agent as he was checking into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Macau, according to Malaysian police.
Malaysia investigates
Two women, one from Indonesia and another from Vietnam, have been charged with murder and face the death penalty if convicted.
Police are currently seeking seven North Koreans over the killing. Four are suspects who are believed to be back in their home country. Police want to speak with three others thought to be holed up in the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Kim’s family is believed to be in hiding. His son, Kim Han Sol, appeared for the first time since his father’s death in a video Wednesday.
Relations between Malaysia and North Korea have deteriorated since the killing.