Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak has said his government's investigation of the killing of the North Korean leader's half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, will be "objective" as tensions rose between the countries.
Earlier, Malaysia said it had recalled its envoy from North Korean capital Pyongyang and summoned North Korea's ambassador in KualaLumpur, who again cast doubt on the impartiality of Malaysia's investigation into the murder and said the victim was not Kim Jong Nam.
"We have no reason why we want to do something to paint North Korea in a bad light, but we will be objective," Mr Najib said in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.
The son of Kim Jong Nam, 22-year-old Kim Han Sol, was expected to arrive in the Malaysian capital from Macau late today, according to an airline source and a media report.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Malaysian authorities have said they will release the body of the victim, believed to have been killed by North Korean agents, to the next of kin.
CCTV footage, released by Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV, appeared to show Kim Jong Nam being attacked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last Monday by a woman who is believed to have wiped a fast-acting poison on his face.
Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the video, and police officials were not immediately available for comment.
Kim Jong Nam, 46, who had been living in the Chinese territory of Macau under Beijing's protection, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.
South Korean legislators last week cited their spy agency as saying the young and unpredictable North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, had issued a "standing order" for his half-brother's assassination, and that there had been a failed attempt in 2012.
