Kim Jong-nam Assassination: Interpol Issues Red Notice for 4 North Koreans

Four North Koreans are wanted by Interpol in connection with the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Kim Jong-nam was killed at Kuala Lumpur airport with lethal VX nerve agent last month.

Malaysia said the four men were at the airport on the day Kim Jong-nam was killed and had since left the country. They are thought to be in North Korea.

A “red notice” issued by Interpol is the nearest equivalent to an international arrest warrant.

The move is unlikely to result in arrests as North Korea is not a member of Interpol.

Two women – one Vietnamese woman and one Indonesian – have been charged with killing Kim Jong-nam. Both reportedly believed they were participating in a TV prank.

Image source Getty Images

Malaysia has not directly blamed North Korea for the assassination, but there is widespread suspicion Pyongyang was behind it.

Investigators have demanded North Korea hand over suspects, three of whom are thought to be hiding in the North Korean embassy in Malaysia.

The four named in the Interpol red notice are Ri Ji-hyon, 33, Hong Song-hac, 34, O Jong-gil, 55, and Ri Jae-nam, 57.

North Korea strongly denies any role in the assasination and has demanded that Malaysia turn over Kim Jong-nam’s body.

Last week, Malaysia finally formally identified the murder victim as Kim Jong-nam. Authorities say this was done using DNA from one of his children, although they did not say which one.

Malaysia says Kim Jong-nam’s body has been embalmed to prevent it from decomposing.

It is not clear where Kim Jong-nam’s wife and children are, although his son appeared in a video last week and said the family members were together.

Kim Jong-nam, who was the estranged, elder half-brother of Kim Jong-un, had been passed over for the North Korean succession and was living in the Chinese territory of Macau at the time of his death.