The body of the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is still in Malaysia, a minister has said.

Police have been able to confirm the identity of Kim Jong Nam, who was killed last month at Kuala Lumpur's airport, using a DNA sample from one of his children, a Malaysian official said.

North Korea said it was banning Malaysians from leaving the country as its diplomatic battle escalated dramatically over the poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader's estranged half brother.

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The North's official Korean Central News Agency said the Malaysian ambassador has been labelled persona non grata and ordered to leave within 48 hours.

North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia faces a deadline to leave the country after authorities moved to expel him and accused Pyongyang of trying to manipulate the investigation into the poisoning of Kim Jong Nam.

It was not clear what false reports they allegedly made.

North Korea has denied that its agents masterminded the assassination of the half-brother of leader Kim Jong Un, saying a Malaysian investigation into the death is full of "holes and contradictions".

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A dispute over custody of the body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother is raging between Malaysia and Pyongyang as inquiries continue into his apparent assassination.

The mystery of what happened to the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he waited for a flight in a Malaysian airport only deepens.

LATEST: Malaysian authorities have made two more arrests over the death of the North Korean leader's half-brother, who was reportedly poisoned by a pair of female assassins as he waited for a flight in Kuala Lumpur.

A second woman has been arrested in connection with the killing of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's half brother at a busy airport.

The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been assassinated at an airport in Kuala Lumpur, according to Malaysian officials.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans lined the snowy streets of Pyongyang today, wailing and clutching their chests as a black hearse carrying late leader Kim Jong Il’s body wound its way through the capital for a final farewell.

KIM JONG IL, North Korea’s mercurial and enigmatic long-time leader, was reputed to have a taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine.

The eldest son of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il says he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to a third generation of his family.

North Korea has threatened to retaliate against South Korea for taking it to the UN Security Council over the sinking of a warship, calling the action an “intolerable provocation”.

NORTH Korea released photographs of leader Kim Jong Il yesterday amid intense speculation over the health of the communist country’s absolute ruler.

South Korean intelligence indicates that ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il suffered a serious setback and has been taken to hospital, it was reported today.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s health appears to have improved, according to South Korea’s spy chief.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s eldest son escaped an assassination attempt in China last year, according to a report today.