Malaysia: Kim Jong-nam's identity confirmed

By P Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR (AA) - Malaysia’s government confirmed Wednesday that a North Korean killed in Kuala Lumpur last month has been identified as Kim Jong-nam based off a DNA sample from one of his children.

The estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un died Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where Malaysian police say two foreign women wiped the very powerful VX nerve toxin on his face.

“I once again confirm that the body is that of Kim Jong-nam,” Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters in the capital Wednesday.

“It has now been confirmed from a DNA testing derived from his child."

Hamidi, who also serves as Home Minister, underlined that the DNA samples were obtained according to international forensic procedures.

He, however, declined to divulge details on how they were secured and on whether a son of Kim Jong-nam had been present in Malaysia.

Earlier this month, a man claiming to be Kim Jong-nam’s 21-year-old son surfaced in an online video saying he is with his mother and sister.

South Korean intelligence authorities said they believed the footage was authentic.