RAAP
THE ASSASSINATION
OF KIM JONG-NAM
OF KIM JONG-NAM
—002
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. The attack was carried out by two women, Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Đoàn Thị Huong from Vietnam, who applied VX nerve agent to Kim Jong-nam’s face. He died approximately 15 to 20 minutes later while being transported to the hospital.
Initially charged with murder, both women had their charges dropped later. Đoàn Thị Huong pled guilty to a lesser charge of “voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means” and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, being released on 3 May 2019.
The assassination is widely suspected to have been orchestrated by Kim Jong-un. Four North Korean suspects, identified as spies, escaped the airport and returned to Pyongyang without arrest. Other North Korean individuals involved were detained but released without charges.
Initially charged with murder, both women had their charges dropped later. Đoàn Thị Huong pled guilty to a lesser charge of “voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means” and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, being released on 3 May 2019.
The assassination is widely suspected to have been orchestrated by Kim Jong-un. Four North Korean suspects, identified as spies, escaped the airport and returned to Pyongyang without arrest. Other North Korean individuals involved were detained but released without charges.