Malaysia has said it will only release the body of the North Korean leader’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam on the condition that his family provides a DNA sample.

Police warned that without DNA from a next of kin, they would refuse to hand over the body or release the autopsy report which could reveal the cause of death. Mr Kim died after he was attacked at Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday while waiting to board a flight to Macau.

South Korean authorities believe suspects sprayed or splashed a poisonous liquid into his face, causing him to collapse and die shortly afterwards on the way to hospital.

Three people have been arrested in connection with the death: an Indonesian woman, a woman with Vietnamese identification and a Malaysian man, thought to be the boyfriend of one of the female suspects. Selangor police chief Abdul Samah Mat told AFP: “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.

“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.”

Kim Jong-nam is suspected to be the victim of an assassination (Getty) (Getty Images)

A post-mortem examination was carried out at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday despite objections from diplomats at the North Korean embassy.

It is not clear when its results will be made public.

Inside the daily life in North Korea Show all 19 1 /19 Inside the daily life in North Korea Inside the daily life in North Korea People reading a newspaper at the metro station Inside the daily life in North Korea Thoughts of the leaders on the tram. They have about a dozen of these on every tram, all with different thoughts Inside the daily life in North Korea Young people training for a big upcoming festival Inside the daily life in North Korea People at the Pyongyang's annual marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea Many stars on one of the trolleys in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea An intimidating poster in a primary school in North Korea. Inside the daily life in North Korea Solar panels installed on a street lamp. Inside the daily life in North Korea A poster on the window next to one of the venues we visited in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Kids playing football next to the Arch of Triumph. After a while tourists were allowed to join, so some of us did Inside the daily life in North Korea Class in an educational center in Pyongyang (where people over 17 years old can attend any classes they choose after school, for free) Inside the daily life in North Korea People waving at me during the Pyongyang marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea People having a great time dancing at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea A metro driver in a metro station in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Fireworks to mark the birthday of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung on our last night in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea My wonderful tour guide at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea One of the parks in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea A person rowing some boats for the day at a river in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea The National War Museum Inside the daily life in North Korea Public park in Pyongyang

Mr Kim was estranged from his younger brother and lived with his wife and two children in Macau on the south coast of China. He had previously spoken out against his family’s dynastic control of North Korea.

A number of South Korean media reports said two female suspects were believed to be North Korean agents working on behalf of Kim Jong-un, although this could not be confirmed.