Malaysia to expel N Korea ambassador

Malaysia yesterday said it would expel the North Korean ambassador in a deepening diplomatic row over the assassination of the half-brother of Pyongyang's leader at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

"The ambassador has been declared persona non grata," Malaysia's foreign ministry said in a statement, adding it had demanded but not received an apology over Pyongyang's attack on its investigation of the case.

"The expulsion of the DPRK (North Korea) Ambassador is... an indication of the government's concern that Malaysia may have been used for illegal activities," the statement added.

Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was poisoned last month with VX, a nerve agent so deadly that it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction.

The dramatic killing at Kuala Lumpur airport prompted an international probe and lurid stories of North Korea's Cold War-style tradecraft.

South Korea has blamed the North for the murder, citing what they say was a standing order from leader Kim Jong-Un to kill his exiled half-brother who may have been seen as a potential rival.

In response, Malaysia has cancelled a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea -- a key conduit to the outside world -- and recalled its envoy to Pyongyang, putting the skids under once cozy ties.

Earlier, North Korea warned the US will "pay dearly" if it puts Pyongyang on a terror list over the killing of its leader's half-brother, as a suspect in the murder claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy.