Saudi Arabia's King Salman has given his first public remarks since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
He heaped praise on the prince and the kingdom's judiciary, but made no mention of the murder.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
In his annual address to the consultative Shura Council on Monday,... King Salman did not directly mention the Khashoggi case,... but said he was "proud of the efforts of the judiciary and public prosecution in carrying out their duty".
This comes as Saudi Arabia charged eleven people in the case, last week,... with the public prosecutor calling for the death penalty for five of them.
According to an analysis by the BBC,... the speech seems to be aimed at reassuring Saudis that nothing has changed since the revelations over Khashoggi's killing put intense international pressure on Saudi Arabia.
The king also praised the economic reform program led by his son,... Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The CIA has reportedly concluded the crown prince was behind the killing of Khashoggi,... but President Trump has yet to endorse that assessment.
Meanwhile, Germany said on Monday that it has banned 18 Saudis from entering Europe's border-free Schengen zone,... amid allegations they were connected to the killing.
This comes just few days after the U.S. imposed sanctions on 17 men for the same reason.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
