Northern Korean murder suspect says Malaysia in conspiracy to damage country's honour

Record ID: 355901

  • Title: Northern Korean murder suspect says Malaysia in conspiracy to damage country's honour
  • Date: 3rd March 2017
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (MARCH 4, 2017) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** MEDIA STANDING IN FRONT OF NORTH KOREAN EMBASSY ENTRANCE NORTH KOREAN OFFICIALS ESCORTING NORTH KOREAN SUSPECT, RI JONG CHOL MEDIA FILMING SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) NORTH KOREAN SUSPECT, RI JONG CHOL, SAYING: "I realized that this is a conspiracy, a plot, to try to damage the status and
  • Embargoed: 17th March 2017 22:04
  • Keywords: Ri Jong Chol Malaysia China Beijing North Korea Kim Jong Nam killing
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
  • Reuters ID: LVA00166EQCLJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Ri Jong Chol, a suspect in the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, said on Saturday (March 4) morning that he was a victim of a conspiracy by Malaysian authorities attempting to damage the honour of North Korea.
    Ri accused Malaysia of using coercion to try to extract a confession from him, he told reporters outside the North Korea embassy in Beijing.
    "I realized that this is a conspiracy, a plot, to try to damage the status and honour of the Republic," he said.
    "It was very difficult to bear, but I said to myself, 'I must get through this, because, I can't let them do this to me as a citizen of the Republic, when they dare try to trample on the honour of the Republic,'" Ri added.
    Ri was arrested days after the murder, but was later released from police detention on Friday (March 3) due to insufficient evidence.
    Kim Jong Nam was murdered on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, after being assaulted by two women who Malaysian police believe smeared his face with VX, a chemical classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.
    Ri said he was not at the airport on the day of the killing, and knew nothing about the accusation that his car was used in the case.
    The murder of Kim Jong Nam has soured relations between Malaysia and North Korea, which had maintained friendly ties for decades.
    South Korean intelligence and U.S. officials say the murder was an assassination organised by North Korean agents.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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