Chemical weapon substance identified on dead DPRK man: Malaysian police

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian police said Friday that chemical weapon substance had been identified on the body of a Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) man who died in the country on Feb 13.

According to preliminary analysis, the chemical substance found on the samples of eye mucosa and face had been identified as "VX Nerve Agent," national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement.

He said that VX is listed as a chemical weapon under Schedule 1 of Malaysia's Chemical Weapons Convention Act 2008 as well as Chemical Weapons Convention, an international arms control treaty which outlaws production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.

The DPRK man died on the way from a Malaysian airport to hospital on Feb. 13.

Malaysian police identified him as Kim Chol from the DPRK.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said embassy documents showed the man was Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of the DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un, but the DPRK ambassador in Malaysia denied the dead man's identity.

Malaysian police have arrested two women who allegedly put liquid on the face of the DPRK man before he died.