Counsellor Kim Yu Song spoke to reporters after going to the Sepang police headquarters in an attempt to meet North Korean national Ri Jong Chol.

Yu Song, who was seen entering the police compound at 4.15pm and leaving 15 minutes later, said he was also there to meet the police officer in-charge to find out why the North Korean national was being detained.

“Our embassy has the responsibility to protect the interests and rights of our citizens … until now we don’t have the reason for (why he is in police) custody.

“So, we are here again to ask the police why they are detaining our citizen for seven days without any reason … but we regret (there is no information) because they (the police) are out to attend a meeting in Shah Alam, Selangor,” he said to reporters before leaving.

When asked if the embassy had made any request to meet the police or officer in charge of the case, the counsellor said: “No”.

“But, we hope Malaysian police in accordance with the bilateral relations between the two countries will cooperate with the embassy,” he said.

Ri Jong Chol has been detained together with three others in connection with the murder of North Korean Kim Jong Nam.

Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was killed at the KL International Airport 2 (klia2) on Feb 13 while waiting to board a flight to Macau 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.

Jong Nam, who travelled using a passport bearing the name Kim Chol, sought help at a customer service counter at the airport and was rushed to the Putrajaya Hospital but died on the way.