Malaysia: N. Korean’s family may be scared to come forward

A North Korean embassy staff asks police if they are allowed to leave as police puts a cordon at North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur.(AP Photo/Vincent Thian) A North Korean embassy staff asks police if they are allowed to leave as police puts a cordon at North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Malaysia says North Korean Embassy staff are barred from leaving country, after Pyongyang blocked Malaysians from leaving North Korea in the bitter diplomatic dispute between North Korea and Malaysia over the poisoning death of leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother in Kuala Lumpur.(AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

By Associated Press March 8, 2017 4 min read

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Malaysia’s prime minister said Wednesday that relatives of Kim Jong Nam, the long-exiled half brother of North Korea’s ruler, may be too scared to come forward to provide DNA samples following his mysterious poisoning death in a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur.

Prime Minister Najib Razak spoke a day after a stunning breakdown in diplomatic ties between Malaysia and North Korea over the investigation into Kim’s death on Feb. 13. Najib said his country still wants to negotiate with Pyongyang despite the increasingly bitter dispute.

“This is sensitive matter, best conducted in secrecy,” he said, adding that authorities are still trying to get DNA samples from Kim’s immediate family to formally identify his body.

“Maybe they are scared to come forward,” Najib said.

Two women swiped Kim’s face with VX nerve agent as he waited for a flight home to Macau last month, Malaysian authorities say. The investigation has infuriated North Korea, which has dismissed the inquiry as politically motivated.