News reports had claimed Kim Jong Nam, 47, may have been murdered with poisoned needles on arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Bukit Aman Police Corporate Communications head SAC Asmawati Ahmad in her response to Bernama via WhatsApp said: “The deceased was a male Korean based on his passport.
“His identity and cause of death have yet to be ascertained.
“Police have requested for a post-mortem to be done … We have recorded the initial report of the death.
“The deceased sought treatment at a KLIA clinic but was later referred to the hospital,” she said.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the passport of the deceased bore the name Kim Chol, with passport number 836410070, from Pyongyang.
He said the man sought medical assistance from the KLIA2 customer service counter and died on the way to hospital. Police are now waiting for the post-mortem results, he added.
Bukit Aman CID director Mohmad Salleh said police were still investigating the cause of death.
Mohmad Salleh told UK’s The Telegraph: “Kim Jong Nam was feeling unwell on Monday morning while he was waiting for a flight to Macau at KLIA.
“He was taken to the KLIA clinic for further treatment, but because of the condition he was in, he was rushed to Putrajaya Hospital, but passed away soon after arriving.
“Police have classified the death of Kim Jong Nam as sudden death and are waiting for the full post-mortem report to decide further action.”
The paper said the Daily Mail in 2015 had reported that North Korean spies attempted to kill Jong-nam in Macau in 2011.
A bloody shootout with his bodyguards ensued, but he managed to escape.
In an interview in 2010, he said he had no ambitions of taking over from his younger half-brother.
In 2010, South Korean newspaper, the Chosun Ilbo, reported that Jong-nam had two wives and several children.
Star Online said Jong-nam and Jong-un are both sons of former leader Kim Jong-il, who died in late 2011, but they had different mothers.
It said South Korea’s TV Chosun, a cable television network, claimed the North Korean was poisoned at KLIA by two women believed to be North Korean operatives, who remain at large. It was citing multiple South Korean government sources.