KUALA LUMPUR: Japan reportedly provided Malaysia with fingerprint data and other information on Kim Jong-nam needed for the investigation into the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Japanese authorities also offered data on Kim's physical characteristics including mugshots, the sources said. The United States and South Korea have alleged that Pyongyang ordered the poisoning of Kim, who had been living in exile. But it has denied this, insisting the man is Kim Chol and that he died of a “heart stroke”. Kuala Lumpur is now trying to gain the release of nine Malaysian citizens in Pyongyang – three diplomats and six family members – with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak calling for the nation to unite during this crisis.

Source: The Star March 13, 2017 03:02 UTC