Kim Jong-nam murder suspect, Lee Jung-cheol, works in China after returning to North Korea

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The Mainichi newspaper reported on the 22nd that Lee Jung-cheol, one of the suspects who murdered North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam, was released from Malaysia and returned to North Korea. According to reports, Lee Jung-cheol went to China with his wife shortly after returning to North Korea to resume activities, an official who was well informed by North Korean intelligence said.

The official said, Amid the sharpening confrontation between the US and China, the US will be watching how China responds to this issue.

Earlier, the US Department of Justice announced on the 11th local time that it had prosecuted Lee Jung-cheol, daughter Lee Yu-gyeong, and Malaysian Gan Chi-rim for violations of sanctions against North Korea, financial fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. However, it is unclear whether new recruits such as Lee Jung-cheol are secured, so whether they will be referred to trial.

Mainichi said, that Lee Jung-cheol had previously stayed with his wife, daughter and son in Malaysia and that her daughter had attended a university in Malaysia and said that it is very unusual in light of the practice of North Korean authorities leaving their family members in North Korea to prevent escape when dispatched overseas.

Lee Jung-cheol lived in a luxury apartment in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia and was found $38,000 in cash (about 44 million won) in a seizure search after Kim Jong-nam's murder. The local police confiscated PCs, tablet terminals, and mobile phones, and returned them when Lee Jung-cheol returned to North Korea, but another official said that the copied data continued to be analyzed.

As a result of the analysis, it was found that Lee Jung-cheol was interested in projects such as Malaysian palm oil and a number of photos and documents such as Japanese-made trailers, crane vehicles, and excavators were confirmed. These equipment may have already been transferred to North Korea via third countries. That there is, Mainichi analyzed. The newspaper added that experts analyzed that Lee Jung-cheol was one of the people who played an important role in North Korea's funding.