According to an Associated Press report, Alex Hwang, originally from South Korea, said Jong Nam had often visited his restaurant.
Although Jong Nam had never given his name, they had met a total of eight times beginning in 2012 when the North Korean first visited his restaurant, Koryo-Won.
Hwang said Jong Nam had eaten at the restaurant with his wife, and was often accompanied by two female bodyguards, AP reported.
After recognising the North Korean following news of his death, Hwang collected his dishes and sent them to the South Korean embassy for fingerprint and DNA tests, AP said.
The issue of DNA samples has been at the forefront of a heated exchange between Malaysia and North Korea. Malaysia says it will not release Jong Nam’s body unless a family member comes forward with a DNA sample, but Pyongyang has refused to comply.
In a strongly worded statement on Feb 20, North Korean ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, called the request for a DNA sample “preposterous”, adding that as long as the victim’s citizenship was clear and his identity was confirmed by the embassy, such requirements “could only be regarded as a political plot behind the incident”.
The ambassador added that DNA tests were the norm only if the victim’s body had “rotted, burnt or turned into a skeleton”.
Jong Nam, who is the eldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, arrived in Malaysia on Feb 6, and was at klia2 to catch a 10.30am flight to Macau on Feb 13 when he was attacked by two women. One sprayed a rapid-acting poison at him while the other covered his face with a piece of cloth.
He sought help at the customer service counter and was treated at the airport clinic but died on the way to Putrajaya Hospital.
Police have since nabbed four suspects to facilitate investigations – Doan Thi Huong (Vietnam), Siti Aishah (Indonesia), Muhammad Farid Jallaludin (Malaysia) and Ri Jong Chul (North Korea).
Four other male suspects, all North Korean, fled the country on the same day of the murder. They have been identified as Ri Ji Hyon, Hong Song Hac, O Jong Gil and Ri Jae Nam.