The ambassador, Kang Chol, had earlier today answered a summons to meet with the foreign ministry over his accusations that the investigation was “politically motivated” and that Malaysia was conspiring with “hostile forces”.
Following the meeting, the ambassador issued a five-page media statement claiming distrust of the Malaysian government.
In response, Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman said the ministry’s deputy secretary-general for bilateral affairs had made it clear during today’s meeting with the ambassador that the police investigation was conducted without fear or favour and in compliance with Malaysian law.
“Any suggestion to the contrary is deeply insulting to Malaysia, as is the suggestion that Malaysia is in collusion with any foreign government.
“These allegations, culled from delusions, lies and half-truths, are the basis from which the ambassador concluded that ‘there could be someone else’s hand behind the investigation’ and that the ‘investigation by the Malaysian police is not for the clarification of the cause of the death and search of the suspect but it is out of the political aim’,” he said in a statement.
Anifah said the police investigation would pursue all leads available, including leads which went beyond or were not related to the information provided by the embassies and other entities.
“In civilised nations, it is the norm for cases such as this to be comprehensively investigated. It is the responsibility of the government to do so. The public also rightly demands it.
“It is also customary for the embassy to cooperate fully with the host government in order to ensure that the investigation is as thorough as possible, and not to impugn the credibility of the investigation.”
The row with North Korea began when Malaysia performed an autopsy on the murder victim over objections from Pyongyang and refused to release the body until a family member came forward to provide a DNA sample.
Jong Nam, who was the estranged half-brother of North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un, was murdered, apparently by two women, while waiting to catch a return flight to Macau at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 on Feb 13.