The North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is filled with an air of silence on Feb. 16, 2017, following the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother Kim Jong-nam. Kim was killed allegedly by North Korean agents at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13. (Yonhap)
I have to wonder if this coal import ban from China has anything to do with the North Koreans murdering Kim Jong-nam who was under Chinese protection?:
Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, left, shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Munich on Saturday. [YONHAP]China said it would suspend all imports of coal from North Korea for the rest of the year, putting it further in line with UN Security Council sanctions meant to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile weapons program.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry said Saturday that the ban, which went into effect Sunday, would last through Dec. 31, which comes after Pyongyang’s universally condemned intermediate ballistic missile launch one week ago. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
You can read more at the link, but the other thing to keep in mind is what China says and what it actually does in regards to sanctions against North Korea are two different things.
I figured that the real North Korean agents would have fled the country immediately after Kim Jong-nam was killed; they are all probably safely back in North Korea by now:
Noor Rashid speaking at a press conference at Bukit Aman on Sunday Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/02/19/jong-nam-murder-police-pc/#Ug6FBPgBF0GVvwCX.99
Malaysia’s police are looking for four more North Korean suspects who they say left the country the same day the North Korean leader’s brother died after being attacked at the Kuala Lumpur airport.
Deputy national police chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim identified all four at a news conference on Sunday. He also identified a fifth person of interest and showed photographs of two more North Koreans who were not identified by name but are also wanted in connection with Kim Jong Nam’s apparent assassination on Monday. [Stars & Stripes]
Here are the names of the four suspects, so if anyone happens to run in them please let Police Chief Ibrahim know:
Malaysian police officers escort Ri Jong-chol, second from left in the top photo, one of the North Korean suspects involved in the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s older half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur, Saturday. Other North Korean suspects are, from left in the bottom row, are Ri Jae-nam, Ri Ji-hyon, O Jong-gil and Hong Song-hac. / Yonhap
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said the suspects, all North Koreans, left the country on Monday Feb 13, the day of Jong-nam’s murder.
“We can confirm that the four left the country on the same day of the attack.
“We are cooperating with Interpol and other relevant bodies in the region,” he told a press conference in Bukit Aman on Sunday.
The press conference is the first that the police have conducted since Jong-nam was assassinated.
The four wanted suspects are:
1. Rhi Ji Hyon, 33, arrived in Malaysia Feb 4, 2017
Of interest is that according to The Star article the North Korean man that they did arrest has a background in chemistry which means they must think he is the guy that put the poison together. It seems like if he did why didn’t he leave the country with the other four agents?
Malaysian newspaper has published a picture it says shows the last moments of Kim Jong-nam’s life before the half brother of North Korean dictator died after apparently being poisoned.
The New Straits Times said the image of Kim Jong-nam slumped in a chair in Kuala Lumpur International Airport was one of the last images of him alive. [The Telegraph]
She may be quiet, but it appears Siti Aisyah is no longer innocent:
Siti Aisyah
For those who have met Siti Aisyah, the notion that the 25-year-old woman from Serang, Banten, might have been capable of allegedly taking part in a vicious plot to murder a high-profile figure in a foreign country is hard to swallow.
Siti, who is believed to have been arrested in Malaysia for her alleged role in the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been described by her neighbours and relatives as a “quiet and innocent” girl.
Siti once lived in a house located in a small alley in the densely populated quarters of Tambora district, West Jakarta. There she resided with her former husband Gunawan Hasyim and former father-in-law Liang Kiong, known as Akiong.
To her neighbours, Siti is just one of millions of Indonesians looking for job opportunities in neighbouring Malaysia.
“She rarely mingled with others. [But] I’m sure that it is her. I recognise her from the picture and I had seen her often back then,” said one of the neighbours named Anisa Fitri as quoted by Antara news agency. “She is a quiet and innocent person from the region,” she added.
Halimah, another neighbor who has lived in Tambora since 1969, was stunned by the news, saying that “[Siti] is poor; it’s a pity that she has been dragged into the case. She once lived next door to me before she moved [to her then father-in-law’s house],” she said. [The Star]
Here is the latest details about the women who apparently were duped into murdering Kim Jong-nam by a North Korean agent who allegedly was able to travel to South Korea:
Female suspects Doan (left) and Siti Aishah.
The two women suspected to have murdered North Korean Kim Jong-nam were allegedly “recruited” by a mysterious man to carry out the deadly task as early as three months ago.
According to a report by China Press, both Siti Aishah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 29, were not North Korean “special agents, but were possibly duped by a spy ring to commit the assassination.
Indonesian national Siti Aishah was arrested at 2am on Thursday, while Doan, who holds a Vietnamese passport, was arrested a day earlier.
China Press reported that the mystery man, believed to be a spy, got to know Doan about three months ago in Malaysia, who eventually became his escort.
The mystery man even took her on several overseas trips, including on one to Vietnam, where they visited her hometown and another trip to South Korea.
China Press reported the mystery man then introduced Doan to the four men still wanted by the police in connection with the killing.
It reported that the mystery man got to know Siti Aishah about a month ago, but only introduced the two women to each other recently when he told them about a “prank ” he wanted them to pull off.
The two women have claimed that they had no idea that it would lead to trouble as they thought it was only supposed to be a filming of the prank being carried out.
They apparently rehearsed the “spoof” many times and were able to carry out the process proficiently. [The Star]
It looks like Malaysian authorities may have caught one of the North Korean operatives behind the assassination of Kim Jong-nam:
One of the four men sought by police over the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam has been detained.
It is learnt that the suspect was arrested after police raided a condominium in Jalan Kuchai Lama at about 11pm on Friday.
The 47-year-old suspect was found to be holding a North Korean passport at the time of arrest.
Three more men are being hunted by police in the investigation into Jong-nam’s murder. [The Star]
It is going to be very interesting to see what they find out from this man. You would think the Kim regime would have had a better escape plan for their operatives if this man is indeed linked to the crime.
UPDATE #1:
Malaysian authorities have identified the North Korean man they arrested as 46-year old, Ri Jong-chol:
Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated.
Kim Jong Nam died this week after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast-acting poison. South Korean and U.S. officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents.
Malaysian police said the latest arrest connected with the murder was made on Friday night, and the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970. He was in possession of a Malaysian i-Kad, which is an identification card given to foreign workers, they added.
“He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male,” read a statement. [Reuters]
Two prime female suspects arrested in the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother Kim Jong-nam are brought to Kuala Lumpur International Airport in the Malaysian capital Friday morning for an on-site reenactment of the crime. [SCREEN CAPTURE FROM WEIBO]They wiped the deadly liquid on his face, darted into the bathroom to wash their hands and then left the scene.
That is how two women detained in investigations into the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam have described their actions at KLIA2 on Monday morning. It has since become one of the most high-profile murders to have occurred in Malaysia.
The women – Indonesian Siti Aisyah and another holding a Vietnamese passport under the name of Doan Thi Huong – led a police team to the airport at about 1am yesterday to re-enact Monday’s attack on Jong-nam.
It is learnt that the two suspects led the police team to Level 3 of the departure hall and told police what happened.
Both women described their actions of wiping a type of liquid on the face a man who they claimed they did not know.
“They claimed they left the area once it was done,” said sources, adding that the women then went to a nearby restroom to wash off the liquid.
It was unclear whether the women wore gloves or even used a piece of cloth to carry out the attack.
Siti Aisyah also told police that she was offered US$100 (RM445) by a man to carry out the act, which she believed to be a prank on a man.
The man who paid her and three others – all foreign men – were seen on CCTV footage at the airport with Siti Aisyah and Thi Huong.
It is learnt that the hunt for the four men, believed to be the “brains” behind the attack on Jong-nam, is still ongoing. [The Star]
It seems to me that if these two women knew they had just committed a murder they would not have took the time to wash their hands, they would have just gotten out of the airport as quickly as possible. It seems to me their claim of being duped into the killing may have validity.
Back in South Korea there has been a lot of speculation of why North Korea would use to foreigners to kill Kim Jong-nam:
If the Indonesian suspect was, in fact, involved in the assassination, it adds another question to the web of mysteries surrounding Kim’s death: why did Pyongyang hire foreigners?
A North Korean defector in South Korea who has knowledge of the communist regime’s intelligence tactics told the JoongAng Ilbo that a North Korean couldn’t have been able to pull off the job because they have so much reverence to the Kim dynasty, a result of ceaseless indoctrination from the North Korean leadership. That reverence extends to Kim Jong-nam, even though he was passed over as heir apparent and lived in self-exile outside North Korea. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
I don’t believe this claim; I think it has more to do with plausible deniability for the North Koreans. If the Malaysian authorities don’t catch the four operatives that put these two women up to the assassination then there is no evidence to connect North Korea to the crime. So anyone wanting to put additional sanctions or add them back to the State Sponsors of Terrorism List would not be able to.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) bows before the tomb of his father Kim Jong-il at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which holds the embalmed bodies of Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung, in Pyongyang on Feb. 16, 2017, to mark the 75th birthday of Kim Jong-il. (Yonhap)
