Trial of Suspects in the Murder of Kim Jong-nam, Half-brother of North Korean Leader, Begins

Two women accused of murdering Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader, appeared on October 2 under heavy police and security protection at the first court session outside the Malaysian capital. Siti Aisyah, an Indonesian citizen, and Đoàn Thị Hương, a Vietnamese citizen, attended court wearing bulletproof vests. Both women, aged 25 and 28, were arrested just days after the murder of Kim Jong-nam; they are accused of using the nerve agent VX to kill him while he was waiting at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 26 to board a flight to Macau. It is reported that the two women smeared the VX nerve agent on Mr. Kim. Kim Jong-nam approached paramedics and police, but nearly 20 minutes later, as the chemical took effect, he tragically lost his life. Footage of the incident and the faces of the two suspects were captured by surveillance cameras. The murder of Kim Jong-nam led to a series of diplomatic warnings and threats exchanged between Kuala Lumpur and Pyongyang. In mid-March, the Malaysian government expelled the North Korean ambassador for 'disregarding a summons to the Foreign Ministry' regarding the murder case, and shortly thereafter, both Malaysia and North Korea imposed exit bans on each other's citizens. The governments of South Korea and the United States stated that they believe the half-brother of the North Korean leader, who had criticized the family's absolute control over power, was murdered by agents of the North Korean regime. South Korean security agencies even alleged that several government officials in the North Korean Foreign Ministry and Ministry of State Security were involved in the murder of Kim Jong-nam. North Korea had long refused to acknowledge that the victim was Kim Jong-nam and denied the accusations against it. Meanwhile, the North Korean ambassador accused Malaysian officials of colluding with foreign powers. The lawyers of the two women, who are the only final suspects in the case, claim that the main perpetrators have left Malaysia and that the innocence of these two citizens of Indonesia and Vietnam will ultimately be proven. Both women stated that they believed they were participating in a fun television program in exchange for money. If the murder charges against them are proven, both could face the death penalty.