A photo shows Hyon Kwang-song identified as Second Secretary at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Bernama Photo
KUALA LUMPUR: One of the two suspects wanted by the police for investigation into the death of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last Monday has been identified as the Second Secretary at the North Korean Embassy in Malaysia.
The person is identified as Hyon Kwang-song, 44, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.
He said the other suspect is an employee of North Korean airline Koryo Air identified as Kim Uk-il, 37.
He said both the suspects are believed to be still in the country.
“I have requested the two suspects to come forward to assist in the investigation, failing which police will issue a warrant for their arrest,” he told a media conference at Bukit Aman yesterday.
On the third suspect, identified at Ri Ji-u, 30, also known as James, Khalid said the police had yet to ascertain his profession.
“I believe all the three suspects are still in the country and we are tracking them down,” he added.
On the four North Korean suspects who fled the country on the day Kim Jong-nam was attacked, he said police could not ascertain if they were the mastermind, but believed they were actively involved in the murder case.
“I received information that they have returned to Pyongyang.
“As such, the police will request the cooperation of the North Korean authorities to hand over the four suspects to us for investigation,” he said.
Khalid said it was necessary that the North Korean authorities cooperate and allow the Malaysian police to question the four suspects to complete investigation on the case.
On Feb 13, Jong-nam was at the KL International Airport 2 (klia2) at about 8am, waiting for his flight to Macau, when a woman suddenly covered his face with a cloth laced with what is believed to be poison.
Jong-nam, who arrived in Malaysia from Macau on Feb 6, sought help at a customer service counter and was rushed to the Putrajaya Hospital, but died on the way. — Bernama