South Korea's military said Thursday that it takes the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother very seriously and is maintaining a high level of readiness to deal with all threats to national security.
In a press briefing, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it hasn't detected any unusual movement in North Korea following the suspected murder of Kim's estranged half-brother Jong-nam in Malaysia on Monday.
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Kim Jong-nam, the elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap) |
"If the cause of the half brother's death is officially announced by (the Malaysian government), we may consider delivering the news through loudspeakers to North Korean soldiers and citizens near the border," a JCS official said.
Malaysia has reportedly completed an autopsy on Kim Jong-nam but it has yet to announce the results. The Southeast Asian country reportedly plans to return the body to North Korea.
Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of former leader Kim Jong-il, is widely believed to have been killed by female agents. He was once seen as heir apparent but his sibling took power after his father's death in December 2011.
The military has strengthened intelligence sharing on North Korea with US Forces Korea and bolstered its surveillance and defense capabilities to counter any aggression by the North, the JCS official said.
The assassination took place a day after Pyongyang test-fired a new intermediate-range ballistic missile powered by a solid-fuel engine. The missile is viewed as being more powerful and harder to detect than the liquid-fueled rockets that North Korea possesses. (Yonhap)
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