North Korea Blames Malaysia for High-Profile Murder

The international fallout over the murder of Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother deepened Thursday, as North Korea criticized Malaysia for its “unfriendly attitude” in the murder investigation and accused the country of being part of a South Korean conspiracy. In North Korean state media’s first report of the high-profile killing, no mention was made of the fact that the victim, Kim Jong Nam, was the North Korean leader’s half-brother. The victim was identified only as “a citizen” of North Korea. The report by Pyongyang's state-run KCNA news agency questioned why Malaysia had first reported that Kim died of a heart attack only to later say he was poisoned, hinting that Malaysian authorities were lying about the real version of events. “What merits more serious attention is the fact that the unjust acts of the Malaysian side are timed to coincide with the anti-DPRK conspiratorial racket launched by the South Korean authorities,” the report said, using the North’s full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. “The biggest responsibility for his death rests with the government of Malaysia as the citizen of the DPRK died in its land,” the report said. South Korea has accused Kim Jong Un of ordering the assassination at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. Malaysian police have identified eight North Korean suspects in the killing, including a North Korean diplomat.