S. Korea says Jong-nam's family will likely have custody of body after autopsy

Jong Nam arrives at Beijing airport in Beijing, China, in this photo taken by Kyodo February 11, 2007. Picture taken February 11, 2007. - Kyodo/via REUTERS

SEOUL: South Korea's spy agency says Kim Jong-nam's family will likely have custody of his body after the autopsy is carried out, not North Korea.

It said on Wednesday that Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was poisoned by two suspected North Korean female agents, according to lawmakers briefed by the intelligence agency.

The agency also said North Korea had long prepared for the murder of Jong- nam, according to lawmakers, although they did not say how the agency knows that.

Jong-nam was assassinated on his way to the Chinese territory of Macau, where he had been living, the lawmakers said, adding that he had been given China's protection. - Reuters