A Malaysian official says authorities have used DNA to confirm the identity of Kim Jon Nam, the murdered half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Wednesday the test was done using a sample obtained from one of Kim Jong Nam’s children.
Kim was attacked February 13 at an airport in Kuala Lumpur. Two women smeared what Malaysian authorities say was VX nerve agent on his face. He died 20 minutes later.
FILE – Kim Jong Nam, exiled half brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, gestures toward his face while talking to airport security and officials at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia.
North Korea has rejected the autopsy, and so far has not stated that the man killed was Kim Jong Nam.
Authorities in Malaysia have charged 25-year-old Indonesian Siti Aisyah and 28-year-old Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong with murder for allegedly being the women seen in security camera video carrying out the attack.
Malaysia has blamed North Korea for organizing the killing and is seeking additional suspects in the case.
Kim Jong Nam was estranged from Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit the Disneyland theme park in Tokyo.
VOA
