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BEIJING (Reuters) - The recent “incident” that occurred in Malaysia was a political scheme by the United States and South Korea that will only benefit enemy countries, a North Korean diplomat based in the Chinese capital said on Thursday.

The estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was murdered on Feb. 13, when Malaysian police say two women - an Indonesian and a Vietnamese - smeared super toxic VX nerve agent on his face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“The recent incident that occurred in Malaysia was clearly a political scheme by the U.S. and South Korea aimed at hurting the DPRK’s reputation and overthrowing the DPRK regime,” diplomat Pak Myong Ho told a news conference, using the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“The only parties that will benefit from this incident are the enemy countries.”