China is continuing to observe events following the death of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) top leader Kim Jong Un, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday.
"We are aware of relevant reports and will continue to keep an eye on any developments," spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing when asked about the murder of Kim in Malaysia.
The DPRK Embassy in Malaysia confirmed that a 46-year-old man holding a DPRK passport under the name Kim Chol was Kim Jong Nam, according to local reports that quoted Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Kim requested help at Kuala Lumpur International Airport terminal two after feeling unwell on Monday. He died on the way to hospital.
Malaysian police have arrested three suspects, including a 26-year-old male Malaysian, a female bearing an Indonesian passport, and a female holding a Vietnamese passport, in its investigation.
Asked whether Kim's death would affect relations between China and the DPRK, Geng said that the two countries are friendly neighbors and have a tradition of friendly exchanges.
A senior Malaysian police official said on Thursday that a third suspect has been arrested by police in the death of a man from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Malaysian police are working on a DNA profiling of Kim Jong Nam, the elder half-brother of the top leader of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a senior police officer said on Friday. Abdul Samah Mat, the police chief of Selangor state told Xinhua that they will ask the DPRK embassy in Malaysia to provide the DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's next-of-kin, which will be used for a positive identification to prove the relationship.
