North Korean man dies after becoming ill at Malaysia airport

Hospital security personnel block the entrance of the Forensic department at the hospital, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. Malaysian police says a unidentified North Korean man died en route to hospital from a Kuala Lumpur airport. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian officials say a North Korean man has died after suddenly becoming ill at Kuala Lumpur’s airport.

The district police chief, Abdul Aziz Ali, said Tuesday he could not confirm South Korean media reports that the man was Kim Jong Nam, the older brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

He said the man was waiting for a flight to Macau on Monday when he fell ill and died en route to a hospital.

Multiple South Korean media reports, citing unnamed sources, said Kim Jong Nam was assassinated at the airport by two women using poison needles.

Kim Jong Nam reportedly fell out of favor in North Korea after being caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport in 2001, saying he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.