South Korea has condemned the North Korean regime for the blatant murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother Kim Jong Nam in Kuala Lumpur, calling it an “inhumane crime and terrorist act that cannot be tolerated”.
Acting President Hwang Kyo Ahn, speaking at a national security meeting yesterday, said the case shows the North Korean regime’s “recklessness and brutality”, and urged the government to seek co-operation with the international community to make the North “pay the price for this act of terror”.
His statement came as South Korea issued a travel warning to its people visiting or working in Malaysia. The South Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur advised people to stay safe and beware of kidnapping or terrorist attacks targeting them.
Read also: Kim Jong-nam murder: Security stepped up at KL hospital mortuary
Separately, South Korean Defence Minister Han Min Koo and Unification Minister Hong Yong Pyo also fingered North Korea as the mastermind behind the murder at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on Feb 13.
Some analysts warned that it is too early to blame North Korea, as investigations are still ongoing.
Read also: Najib rejects N.Korea’s demand to jointly probe Kim’s killing
Dr Lee Jae Hyon, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies think-tank, said: “Concluding the case now is an intervention and ignorance of Malaysia’s sovereignty.”
This article was first published on Feb 21, 2017.
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