15 February 2017•Update: 16 February 2017
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
South Korean spy chief Lee Byong-ho claimed on Wednesday North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had his exiled half-brother murdered in Malaysia this week because of a “delusional disorder”.
Widespread reports a day earlier claimed 45-year-old Kim Jong- was poisoned by a pair of unidentified female assassins while preparing to fly from Malaysia to Macao on Monday.
National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Lee said there was no suggestion the deceased had been viewed as a threat to Pyongyang’s authoritarian regime, according to local news agency Yonhap.
While addressing a parliamentary intelligence committee on Wednesday, he added it was too soon to verify whether the killing had been carried out using poisoned needles or a chemical spray, as the Malaysian authorities have yet to reveal the outcome of an ongoing investigation and autopsy.
But Lee also pointed out that Kim had been targeted by Pyongyang for years.
Purge
The eldest son of late former leader Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong- fell out of favor and was estranged after attempting to visit Japan in 2001 on a fake passport.
While he later criticized North Korea’s dynastic succession, he is said to have written to Kim Jong-un in 2012 asking to be spared along with his family.
Despite being concerned for his life, Kim Jong- apparently made no attempt to seek asylum in South Korea but rather benefited from Chinese protection.
The NIS believes more than 100 North Korean officials have been purged under the current leader’s reign of terror since late 2011.
Meanwhile, South Korean police have reportedly beefed up security around high-profile North Korean defectors to avoid a repeat of what happened in Malaysia.
A government spokesperson told reporters that Seoul is also “closely cooperating” with Malaysian counterparts.
