UPDATE - North Korean leader’s half-brother killed in Malaysia

UPDATES WITH SENIOR POLICE OFFICIAL CONFIRMING NORTH KOREAN MAN RUSHED TO HOSPITAL

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL, South Korea (AA) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother has reportedly been killed in Malaysia, according to multiple South Korean reports Tuesday.

TV Chosun said 45-year-old Kim Jong-nam was assassinated at an airport in Malaysia by a pair of unidentified women who allegedly murdered him using poisoned needles before escaping from the scene.

Amid immediate speculation that North Korean agents were involved, a Seoul government source cited by Yonhap News Agency confirmed the assassination.

So far, the Malaysian media has not reported anything on the alleged incident that some outlets claim took place Monday.

A senior Malaysian police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity with Anadolu Agency Tuesday due to restrictions on talking to the media, confirmed that a North Korean man was rushed to a hospital near Kuala Lumpur International Airport Monday. The man's identity was being scrutinized and police did not confirm whether it was Kim Jong-nam who got killed, the source added.

Kim Jong-nam -- the eldest son of late former leader Kim Jong-il – was born out of wedlock to a South Korean actress. He was at one point seen as a potential successor to Pyongyang’s throne before being frozen out in 2001 for trying to visit Disneyland in Japan.

His younger half-brother, Kim Jong-un, has overseen a notorious purge of officials since taking power in 2011, including the execution of his own uncle Jang Song-thaek in 2013.

Following Jang’s death, security around Kim Jong-nam and his family was said to have been tightened, particularly as the exiled son of a dictatorial dynasty had become openly critical of the regime.

Reports suggested at the time, for example, that Kim Jong-nam’s older son studying in France was being accompanied by police at a Le Havre university campus.

*Anadolu Agency's P. Prem Kumar contributed to this report from Kuala Lumpur.