Health Minister says Jong-Nam's body was not removed from morgue

PUTRAJAYA: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said Kim Jong-Nam's body was never removed from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) morgue as far as he knows amidst reports of an attempt to move it.
Subramaniam said this will remain the status quo until the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Prime Minister's Department decide otherwise and instruct the Health Ministry to that effect.
"The Foreign Affairs Ministry and the PMD are having discussions, and once they have a conclusion which is definite, then that is exactly what we are going to do," Subramaniam told the press at the ministry today.
When asked of reported attempts to move it, he said he has to check with the Forensics Department if there was any requirement for the body to be taken out but reiterated that it remains in HKL to his knowledge.
Regarding reports of possible decomposition of the body, Subramaniam said it is up to the Forensics Department to decide if a second embalming is necessary.
He also said the body will not be cremated as per standard procedure for unclaimed bodies due to the sensitive nature of the matter.
"When nobody comes forward to claim a body, we usually ask the public if anyone knows the person via the media, and if still nobody comes forward then we make a decision on what to do with the body. Either to bury or to cremate it.
"But in this case we can't do it because of the sensitivities pertaining to it, and the fact that it involves another country, another national. We will try to keep it until we find a holistic, total, solution to this problem," Subramaniam said.
He then acknowledged the excitement within media groups due to the extraordinary nature of the case but urged them to wait for official announcements regarding the matter.
Jong-Nam, the half brother of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, was murdered on Feb 13 with the highly toxic VX nerve agent at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 where he was supposed to fly to Macau.
Police have so far arrested two suspects who allegedly smeared Jong-Nam's face with the toxic chemical, but North Korea claims the investigation by local authorities is a political conspiracy.