Malaysia issues arrest warrant for Air Koryo staff over airport murder

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police issued an arrest warrant for an Air Koryo employee on Friday in connection with the investigation into an airport murder case, Malaysia's Bernama news agency reported.

Kim Uk-il, an employee of the national carrier for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, was listed as a person of interest by the police along with a second secretary of the DPRK embassy.

The police said earlier that the two were still in Malaysia but declined to confirm whether they are were the DPRK embassy.

Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the police also sent a request via the Foreign Ministry to the DPRK embassy to question second secretary Hyon Kwang-song, who is entitled to diplomatic immunity.

Also on Friday, Malaysia's Immigration Department said in a statement 47-year-old DPRK man Ri Jong-chol, who was arrested as a suspect after the killing, was handed over to the department from the police for deportation to the DPRK. Two representatives from the DPRK embassy will accompany him, said the statement.

Malaysia has indicted two female suspects for murdering a DPRK man with the passport of Kim Chol. If convicted, the two will be hanged.

DPRK on Thursday brushed off Malaysia's investigation result that shows the DPRK man died here was killed by chemical weapon, saying he likely died of heart attack.

Ri Tong-il, spokesman of a DPRK delegation to Malaysia, said the DPRK man had a history of heart decease, had received treatment from time to time and normally could not travel without medicine.

Ri claimed that medicine for heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure were found in the man's belongings.

Malaysia said the man was killed by nerve agent VX.

Describing the chemical as highly toxic, Ri raised questions over how the man died on the spot while the two suspects survived and police and medics who attended to the man were not contaminated.

He said samples should be sent to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for verification.

Ri said his delegation had met with Malaysian officials to settle the issue. "The DPRK's request is simple, that is the return of the deceased body of the DPRK citizen as soon as possible," he said.

Malaysia on Friday said that it will cooperate with the OPCW to bring the perpetrators of the VX nerve agent attack to justice. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Malaysia "does not produce, stockpile, import, export or use any" toxic weapons listed in the convention concerning prohibition of the chemical weapons.

The ministry said it strongly condemns the use of the VX nerve agent by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances. "Its use at a public place could have endangered the general public," it said.

Xinhua