Pyongyang playing the blame game

SEOUL: North Korea blames Malaysia for the death of “one of its citizens there” and accuses it of “having an unfriendly attitude”, reported Pyongyang’s state-run KCNA news agency.

It said that Malaysia was following a scenario drawn up by South Korea that claimed North Korean agents had assassinated the person.

KCNA, in the first official media report in North Korea of the killing, did not name Kim Jong-nam or acknowledge that he was the estranged half-brother of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, referring to him only as “a citizen of the DPRK”.

“The biggest responsibility for his death rests with the government of Malaysia as the citizen of the DPRK died in its land,” the report said.

KCNA reported that Malaysia had initially told North Korea that the person with a diplomatic passport had died from a heart attack at KLIA2 on Feb 13.

But it quickly changed its position, the news agency said, citing a spokesman for a state committee. — Reuters