KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Wednesday that the man murdered in Malaysia last month had been confirmed as Kim Jong Nam based on the DNA sample obtained from his child.

It was the first time for the Malaysian government to hint at having contacted the next-of-kin of the deceased.

Zahid did not say when, how and from whom the DNA sample was obtained, but Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar, when announcing the identification of the dead man last week, refused to say how it was done due to safety concerns.

The DNA sample was tested following forensic procedures, Zahid told reporters when attending an event at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where Kim was smeared with a lethal chemical weapon called VX nerve agent and died en route to hospital.

He also said formal talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) began on Monday to find a solution to bring back the nine Malaysian nationals whom were barred by the DPRK from leaving after a diplomatic spat between the two countries escalated following the investigation of Kim's death.