KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will not release the body of the half-brother of North Korea’s leader until his family has provided a DNA sample, despite Pyongyang’s request that the remains be returned.

“So far, no family member or next-of-kin has come to identify or claim the body. We need a DNA sample of a family member to match the profile of the dead person,” Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah Mat told AFP on Friday.

“North Korea has submitted a request to claim the body, but before we release the body we have to identify who the body belongs to,” he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Thursday confirmed that the man, who was killed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2 ) on Monday was Kim Jong-nam, the estranged sibling of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, referring to the passport carried by him.

Ahmad Zahid also said Malaysia would be willing to accommodate a request from Pyongyang to return the body.

Jong-nam, 45, was believed to have been in Malaysia on a passport bearing the name Kim Chol, a known alias, according to South Korean media. - AFP

Related stories:

Hospital hands over Jong-nam’s passports

Police hand over samples to Chemistry Dept

Jong Nam's body has 'no external injury'

Family members nowhere to be seen

Facebook postings may have led to the death of Jong-nam

Indonesian woman and her boyfriend held over assassination

Fugitive assassin holed up in hotel room caught



