In its first official response to the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam, Pyongyang has denied its involvement in the incident.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Thursday carried a statement from the North Korean lawyers’ committee, which accused Malaysia and South Korea of vilifying the regime.
 
In the statement, the North described the case as an “unfortunate accident” that abruptly befell a North Korean citizen holding a diplomat’s passport.

While claiming that the man went into shock ahead of boarding a plane in Malaysia on February 13th, the North criticised Malaysia for pushing ahead with an autopsy. 

It argued that the autopsy was a human rights abuse against North Korea's state sovereignty. 
 
The North also claimed that Malaysia’s “unlawful activities” are occurring simultaneously with a South Korean scheme against the North, accusing Seoul of masterminding the case. 
 
It was the North’s first direct response to the murder of Kim Jong-nam. However, the North did not mention the name of the victim while revealing his death.

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