Mystery deepens over assassination of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother

This story has gripped North Korea and Asia watchers – and lovers of real-life espionage – but it may well have broader ramifications for the nuclear-armed “hermit kingdom”:

Two more suspects have been arrested in connection with the death of Kim Jong-nam, the brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in Malaysia.

A female Indonesian suspect and a Malaysian man thought to be her boyfriend were both detained on Thursday. A woman travelling on a Vietnamese passport has also been detained.

Kim died on Monday after apparently being poisoned while waiting to board a flight in Kuala Lumpur. Police say they have now finished their post-mortem examination, though the results have not yet been made public. The two female suspects have been remanded in custody for seven days. …

Malaysian Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi formally confirmed on Thursday that the dead man, who was travelling under the name Kim Chol, was Kim Jong-nam, according to state news agency Bernama. …

There is widespread speculation that North Korea was behind the killing, but there has been no proof.

North Korea is on Thursday celebrating what would have been the 75th birthday of Kim Jong-il, the late leader and father of both Kim Jong-nam and Kim Jong-un.

Kim Jong-un was seen attending a ruling party meeting on Wednesday. Footage aired on state media showed him grim-faced, reported South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, and he did not wave when he left, as is customary.

By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.