Malaysia expelled North Korea's ambassador Saturday, giving him 48 hours to leave the country as a diplomatic row deepened over the assassination of the half-brother of Pyongyang's leader. Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was poisoned on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with VX, a nerve agent so deadly that it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction.
The dramatic killing has sharply soured relations between Malaysia and North Korea, which has not acknowledged the dead man's identity, vehemently protested the murder investigation and accused Kuala Lumpur of being in cahoots with its enemies.
Arch-rival South Korea has blamed the North for the murder, citing what they say was a standing order from leader Kim Jong-Un to kill his exiled half-brother who may have been seen as a potential rival.
"The expulsion of the DPRK (North Korea) Ambassador is... an indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities," Malaysia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
"The ambassador has been declared persona non grata" after Malaysia demanded but did not receive an apology over Pyongyang's attack on its investigation of the case, the statement added.
"He is expected to leave Malaysia within 48 hours."
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