美国国家公共电台 NPR Second Suspect Arrested In Death Of N. Korean Dictator's Half-Brother（在线收听）

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And today, North Korea is celebrating the birthday of its late dictator Kim Jong Il just as investigators try and figure out who fatally poisoned Kim's oldest son. Here's NPR's Elise Hu.

ELISE HU, BYLINE: At the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysian investigators are piecing together the final moments of Kim Jong Nam's life. Police say airport surveillance footage shows two women approaching the 45-year-old Kim in Terminal 2. One covered his face with a cloth. Minutes later, Kim fell ill, sought help and died while being rushed to the hospital.

Both women are now in custody. One holds an Indonesian passport, the other Vietnamese. But South Korea's acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, is linking the killing to the North Korean regime.

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PRIME MINISTER/ACTING PRESIDENT HWANG KYO-AHN: (Through interpreter) If the murder of Kim Jong Nam was confirmed to be committed by the North, that would clearly depict the brutality and inhumanity of the Kim Jong Un regime.

HU: North Korea's current leader is the estranged half brother of the dead Kim. Why this brother is dead is still a mystery. Kim Chang-su at the Korean Institute for Defense Analyses says the despot could have perceived his brother as a threat.

KIM CHANG-SU: He is on the throne. So he's really emphasized his presence on the throne, then nobody can be allowed to challenge him in North Korea.

HU: As theories abound, a diplomatic vehicle with North Korean flags was parked outside the hospital as the autopsy on Kim was conducted yesterday. So far, Malaysian authorities have not released a cause of death.

Elise Hu, NPR News, Seoul.