Ruth Haines
On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. Kim Jong-nam was attacked by two women, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, who smeared his face with the deadly nerve agent VX. He died about 15 to 20 minutes later while being transported to the hospital. The assassination caused a major diplomatic crisis between North Korea and Malaysia, with many believing that Kim Jong-nam was murdered on the orders of Kim Jong-un.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Kim Jong-nam |
| Relation | Estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un |
| Date of Incident | 13 February 2017 |
| Location | Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia |
| Time | Around 9:00 a.m. |
| Attackers | Siti Aisyah (Indonesian), Doan Thi Huong (Vietnamese) |
| Modus Operandi | Smeared VX nerve agent on his face |
| Aftermath | Died 15-20 minutes later en route to the hospital |
| Suspects | Four North Korean men who fled the country |
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What You'll Learn
- Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was killed at Kuala Lumpur airport
- Two women, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, smeared his face with a banned chemical
- Kim Jong Nam was carrying the antidote to the poison in his bag
- Four North Korean suspects fled the country shortly after the assassination
- The killing caused a diplomatic crisis between North Korea and Malaysia
Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was killed at Kuala Lumpur airport
On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong Nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. Kim Jong Nam had been living in exile since 2003 after falling out of favour with his father, former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, for criticising the regime in Pyongyang. He had travelled to Malaysia on 6 February 2017 and was on his way back to his home in Macau when he was killed.
Kim Jong Nam was attacked by two women, Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Đoàn Thị Hương from Vietnam, who sprayed or smeared his face with the VX nerve agent, a banned chemical weapon. He died about 15 to 20 minutes later while being transported to the hospital in an ambulance. The women were charged with the murder of Kim Jong Nam but the charges were eventually dropped when it was found that they were unknowingly used for the assassination. Hương, however, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of "voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means" and received a sentence of three years and four months.
Four North Korean suspects, later confirmed as spies, were identified by the Malaysian police but they left the country hours after the murder and remain at large. There was also security footage of Hyon Kwang Song, a North Korean embassy official in Kuala Lumpur, and Kim Uk-Il of Air Koryo, North Korea’s national airline, at the airport 40 minutes before the murder. They were later seen meeting with the four North Korean suspects. North Korea has denied any involvement in the assassination.
The killing of Kim Jong Nam caused a major diplomatic crisis between North Korea and Malaysia, with Malaysia expelling the North Korean ambassador and refusing to release Kim Jong Nam’s body to Pyongyang. The United States also relisted North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in 2017, with the assassination cited as one of the reasons.
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Two women, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, smeared his face with a banned chemical
On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. Two women, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, smeared his face with a banned chemical, later identified as the VX nerve agent. VX is a yellowish, odourless, and tasteless liquid that disrupts the body's nervous system and can be lethal in very small amounts. Just 10 milligrams is enough to kill a person through skin contact or inhalation.
Aisyah, an Indonesian national, and Huong, a Vietnamese national, were arrested and charged with the murder of Kim Jong-nam. However, they claimed that they were innocent victims of an elaborate North Korean plot and had no idea that they were taking part in an assassination. According to their lawyers, the women had been paid to take part in pranks where they wiped liquid on people at various locations, including airports. They believed they were participating in another prank when they targeted Kim Jong-nam.
CCTV footage of the incident showed that after carrying out the attack, the two women rushed to separate restrooms before heading to the airport taxi stand. Huong told the police that she was instructed by four men travelling with them to spray Kim with an unidentified liquid while Aisyah held and covered his face with a handkerchief. The four men, believed to be North Koreans, fled Malaysia on the day of the murder and remain at large despite an Interpol "red notice".
The trial of Aisyah and Huong began in October 2017, with both pleading not guilty. The defence argued that the women were unknowingly groomed as killers by North Korean agents. In March 2019, all charges against Aisyah were dropped, and she was freed due to "good relations" between Malaysia and Indonesia. Huong's case was adjourned at the request of her lawyers, and she eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of "voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means". She received a sentence of three years and four months.
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Kim Jong Nam was carrying the antidote to the poison in his bag
On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. He was waiting to take a 10:50 a.m. AirAsia flight to Macau when he was approached by two women, Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Đoàn Thị Hương from Vietnam. They smeared his face with a banned chemical, later identified as the VX nerve agent, which is one of the most deadly chemical weapons in the world. Kim Jong-nam died about 15 to 20 minutes later while being transported to the hospital.
An autopsy showed the VX nerve agent was found on Kim Jong-nam's face, in his eyes, blood, urine, clothing, and bag. Doctors concluded the cause of his death was "acute VX nerve agent poisoning". At the time of his death, Kim Jong-nam was carrying 12 vials of atropine, a medication that treats certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisoning. This was the antidote to the poison that killed him. He was also carrying eight national currencies and $124,000 in cash, according to a police officer's court testimony.
The two women accused of killing Kim Jong-nam were charged with murder. However, the charges were eventually dropped when it was found that they were unknowingly used for the assassination. Defence lawyers argued that the women did not flee the country nor discard their clothing, indicating they did not know they were handling poison. The women themselves contended that they thought they were playing a prank for a hidden camera show.
The assassination of Kim Jong-nam caused a major diplomatic crisis between North Korea and Malaysia, with Malaysia expelling the North Korean ambassador and refusing to release Kim Jong-nam's body to Pyongyang. It is widely believed that Kim Jong-nam was murdered on the orders of Kim Jong-un due to being seen as a threat to his rule.
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Four North Korean suspects fled the country shortly after the assassination
On the morning of 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. Kim Jong-nam was waiting to board a flight to Macau when he was attacked by two women, Siti Aisyah and Đoàn Thị Hương, who smeared his face with the deadly nerve agent VX. He died about 15 to 20 minutes later while being transported to the hospital.
Aisyah and Huong were arrested and charged with the murder of Kim Jong-nam. However, the murder charges were eventually dropped when it was found that they were unknowingly used for the assassination. Huong pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and received a sentence of three years and four months.
While Aisyah and Huong were accused of conspiring with four North Korean men, these suspects fled Malaysia shortly after the assassination and remain at large. The four men were identified as spies who had travelled with the women to the airport. Security footage showed that Hyon Kwang Song and Kim Uk-Il, both North Korean officials, were also at the airport before the murder and met with the suspects. An investigator claimed that a North Korean Embassy official had purchased the car used to bring three of the suspects to the airport. Despite this evidence, no one from the North Korean regime stood trial for the murder.
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The killing caused a diplomatic crisis between North Korea and Malaysia
On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. Two women, Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Đoàn Thị Hương from Vietnam, approached Kim and wiped an oily substance, later identified as the banned VX nerve agent, on his face. Kim died about 15 to 20 minutes later while being transported to the hospital.
The assassination caused a diplomatic crisis between North Korea and Malaysia, with Malaysia expelling the North Korean ambassador and refusing to release Kim Jong-nam's body to Pyongyang. Malaysia also demanded that three North Koreans hiding in the embassy come in for police questioning. In response, North Korea held Malaysians in North Korea hostage. The diplomatic crisis unfolded against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, with South Korea and the United States believing that the killing was an assassination carried out by agents of North Korea.
Malaysia's refusal to release Kim's body immediately led to North Korean ambassador Kang Chol accusing Malaysia of collaborating with the country's enemies and violating human rights. The Malaysian ambassador to North Korea was recalled, and North Korea proposed a joint investigation to prevent influence from South Korea, which it believed was trying to malign North Korea as the party responsible for the killing.
The trial for the murder further strained diplomatic relations between the two countries. The people on trial for the murder were not North Korean agents but two former escorts, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, who had been unknowingly groomed as killers by North Korean agents. In March, all charges were dropped against Siti, and Doan found herself the sole person accused of murder. This led to accusations that the Malaysian government wanted to be done with the trial due to diplomatic inconvenience.
The assassination also impacted North Korea's diplomatic relations with the United States, which relisted North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in November 2017, with the assassination cited as one of the reasons.
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Frequently asked questions
Kim Jong-Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.
Two women, Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam, smeared his face with the banned chemical VX nerve agent.
All charges were dropped against Siti Aisyah when it was found that she and Doan Thi Huong had been unknowingly used for the assassination. Huong pled guilty to a lesser charge and received a sentence of three years and four months.
The assassination caused a major diplomatic crisis between North Korea and Malaysia. Malaysia expelled the North Korean ambassador, refused to release Kim's body, and demanded three North Koreans hiding in the embassy come in for questioning. In response, North Korea held Malaysians in the country hostage.
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