A North Korean diplomat says the killing of a man confirmed by Malaysian police to be the half brother of North Korea's leader was a political conspiracy engineered by Washington and Seoul.
Kim Jong-nam looks at photographers as he exits a police van to board a plane to Beijing at Narita International Airport in Narita on May, 2001. (Yonhap)
Pak Myong Ho, a minister at North Korea's embassy in Beijing, said Thursday the killing in Malaysia last month was a "despicable and extremely dangerous'' plot by the US and South Korea aimed at smearing North Korea's image and subverting its regime.
Pak said "indiscriminate claims of behind-the-scenes manipulation'' would fail, referring to allegations by South Korea's spy agency that North Korea masterminded the assassination.
North Korea has demanded that Malaysia hand over the body and objected when it conducted an autopsy. It also has refused to acknowledge that the victim was the half brother of its leader. (AP)