He said this when asked about a Bernama report yesterday that a video taken by Japanese broadcaster ANN showed Kim Uk Il, an Air Koryo employee, playing snooker inside the embassy building located on Jalan Batai, in the high-end KL suburb of Damansara Heights.
“There is nothing to elaborate on the matter. We know they are in there,” Khalid said of Uk Il and two other North Korean men – Kwang Hyon Song and Ri Ji U – who are all wanted for questioning over the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on Feb 13.
Asked if police were aware of North Korea carrying out their own probe into the murder in Kuala Lumpur, the IGP said any such activity would be illegal without police approval.
“They don’t have the powers to look into any papers nor to question people. Anyone, not just spies, but also legal authorities from any country would need our approval,” Khalid said today in Bukit Aman, during a ceremony where the police received new Kia cars.
Earlier this week, it was reported that North Korean “investigators” were going around asking questions about Indonesian Siti Aisyah, one of two foreign women charged with the murder.
Khalid suggested however, that there was nothing wrong with North Korean officials just talking to people to get more information.
“As long as they do not interfere with our investigations it is good enough. However, once they go against the law, then they will face the consequences,” he said.
On March 16, Khalid said a request by police for the Interpol “Red Notice” on four other North Korean suspects was successful with the listing of four men on the global police agency’s website.
The four men are believed to have fled the country within hours after Jong Nam’s murder and returned to Pyongyang with transit stops in Jakarta, Dubai (UAE) and Vladivostok (Russia).
The Interpol “Red Notice” is the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant.
Jong Nam, who is the eldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, was killed at klia2 on Feb 13. He was attacked by two women who wiped his face with a substance later identified as VX nerve agent, a chemical poison classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong and Siti Aisyah are facing the murder charge over Jong Nam’s death.
His death has created a diplomatic crisis between Malaysia and Pyongyang when former embassador Kang Chol accused Malaysian authorities of conspiring with “hostile forces” against them.
Malaysia ordered former North Korean ambassador Kang to leave earlier this month, and had recalled Malaysian envoy, Mohamad Nizan Mohamad home previously.
Both countries have also barred each others’ citizens from leaving.