Jong Nam murder: Allegations by N.Korean envoy 'diplomatically rude' - PM Najib

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak regarded the statement issued by North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, as “diplomatically rude” and totally uncalled for.

“The statement by the ambassador was totally uncalled for, it is considered diplomatically rude on his part. But Malaysia will stand firm," said Datuk Seri Najib at a Press conference after launching the 1Malaysia Training Scheme (SL1M), here, today.

He said this when commenting on the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the elder brother of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2), on Monday, February 13, 2017.

He also stressed that Malaysia is not a pawn and will not succumb to any country in defending the country's sovereignty.

"Malaysia will never be a pawn of any country. Malaysia is a sovereign country and we will never accept pressure or bullying from any country," he said

Datuk Seri Najib further said that a crime was committed in Malaysia and that North Korea government should instead provide their assistance to uncover the truth rather than making baseless accusations.

“All this while, we have no reason to paint with a kind of a negative brush in terms of the image of North Korea. We're very objective.

"But Malaysia will remain steadfast in carrying out an investigation in accordance with the existing legal provisions.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said that the allegations by North Korea envoy Kang Chol was backed by delusions, lies and half-truths which gave the impression that the government has 'something to hide' in its handling of the murder.

Anifah added that the allegation that Malaysia is 'colluding and conspiring with foreign powers’ which forms the basis of his conclusions is politically motivated.