On 13 February 2017,
Kim Jong-nam
Kim Jong-nam (, ; 10 May 1971 – 13 February 2017) was the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. From roughly 1994 to 2001, he was considered the heir apparent to his father. He was thought to have fallen out of favor after embarras ...
, the older half-brother of the North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...
, was assassinated at the
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the main international airport serving Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It is located in the Sepang District of Selangor, approximately south of downtown Kuala Lumpur and serves the Greater Kuala L ...
in
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. He had been living abroad since his exile from North Korea in 2003.
Following his visit to the resort island
Langkawi
Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) located some 30 km off the coast of northwe ...
, Kim Jong-nam arrived at terminal 2 sometime before 9:00 a.m. to take a 10:50 a.m.
AirAsia
Capital A Berhad (), operating as AirAsia (stylised as ''airasia'') is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Established in 1993 and commencing operations in 1996, the airline is the largest in M ...
flight to
Macau
Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
. At approximately 9:00 a.m., two women sprayed Kim Jong-nam with the
VX nerve agent. He died about 15 to 20 minutes later while being transported to the hospital.
The women were identified as Siti Aisyah from
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and Đoàn Thị Hương from
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. Both were charged with the murder of Kim Jong-nam. The murder charges were eventually dropped when it was found that they were unknowingly used for the assassination, although Hương pled guilty to a lesser charge of "voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means" and received a sentence of three years and four months. She was released from prison on 3 May 2019.
It is widely believed that Kim Jong-nam was murdered on the orders of Kim Jong Un. Four North Korean suspects, later confirmed as spies, left the airport shortly after the assassination and reached
Pyongyang
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
without being arrested. Other North Koreans were arrested but were released without charge. The assassination triggered a serious diplomatic conflict between Malaysia and North Korea, which ultimately ended in the two countries severing diplomatic ties with each other.
Attack
Kim Jong-nam arrived in Malaysia on 6 February 2017, traveling to the resort island of
Langkawi
Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) located some 30 km off the coast of northwe ...
on 8 February.
On 13 February, at about 9 a.m.,
he was approached by two women, one of whom was Vietnamese while the other was Indonesian,
and ambushed with
VX nerve agent near an
airport self check-in kiosk at level 3, departure hall in KLIA 2, the low-cost carrier terminal at
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the main international airport serving Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It is located in the Sepang District of Selangor, approximately south of downtown Kuala Lumpur and serves the Greater Kuala L ...
while waiting for a 10:50 a.m.
AirAsia
Capital A Berhad (), operating as AirAsia (stylised as ''airasia'') is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Established in 1993 and commencing operations in 1996, the airline is the largest in M ...
flight to
Macau
Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
.
VX is a
chemical weapon
A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...
banned by the
Chemical Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), officially the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, is an arms control treaty administered by the Organisation for ...
of 1993.
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
, which has not ratified the convention, is suspected of holding a stockpile.
Malaysian police said that Kim had alerted an airport receptionist, saying that "someone had grabbed him from behind and splashed a liquid on his face" and a woman "covered his face with a cloth laced with a liquid".
A resuscitation device was strapped to Kim's face, and he was then transported by
stretcher
A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an medical device, apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or ...
through the airport to reach an
ambulance
An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...
.
He was treated at the airport in the Menara Medical Clinic by nurse Rabiatul Adawiyah Mohd Sofi and Dr. Nik Mohd Adzrul Ariff Raja Azlan, who later testified that he was sweating, in pain and unresponsive.
At the clinic, Kim was given 1 mg of
atropine
Atropine is a tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate, and to decrease saliva production during surgery. It is typically give ...
, and also
adrenaline
Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands a ...
.
He was given
tracheal intubation
Tracheal intubation, usually simply referred to as intubation, is the placement of a flexible plastic catheter, tube into the vertebrate trachea, trachea (windpipe) to maintain an open airway or to serve as a conduit through which to administer c ...
. He died about 15 to 20 minutes after the attack while being transferred from the airport to the
Putrajaya Hospital.
As he was traveling under the pseudonym "Kim Chol", Malaysian officials did not immediately formally confirm that Kim Jong-nam was the man killed.
Kim's extensive
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
use under this pseudonym since at least 2010, and use of commercial email services for communications, may have made it easier for North Korean agents to seek his whereabouts and track his movements. At the time of his death, Kim's backpack contained approximately $100,000 in cash and he was carrying four
North Korean passports, all bearing the name Kim Chol.
On 15 February, Malaysian police arrested 28-year-old Vietnamese woman Đoàn Thị Hương at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in connection with the attack.
Hương was identified through
CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
footage.
On 16 February, a 25-year-old Indonesian woman named Siti Aisyah was arrested and identified as the second female suspect. Aisyah's boyfriend, a 26-year-old Malaysian named Muhammad Farid bin Jalaluddin, was also arrested on 16 February to assist in the investigation.
Hương told the police that she was instructed by four men who were traveling with them to spray Kim with an unidentified liquid while Aisyah held and covered his face with a handkerchief as part of a prank.
CCTV footage showed that Hương and Aisyah rushed to separate restrooms after carrying out the attack, and that they headed to the airport taxi stand after leaving the restrooms.
Hương was seen leaving the airport by taxi at around 9:30 a.m.
Hương claimed that after she returned to look for the others, they had disappeared and thus she decided to head back to the airport.
On 17 February, police arrested a 46-year-old North Korean man named Ri Jong-chol.
He was described as an IT worker for Tombo Enterprise, living in Malaysia.
International reactions
South Korea
Kim Myung-yeon, a spokesperson for South Korea's
Liberty Korea Party
The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Hann ...
, described the killing as a "naked example of Kim Jong-un's reign of terror." The South Korean government drew a parallel with the
execution of Kim Jong-un's own uncle and others.
The acting
President of South Korea
The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (), is the head of state and head of government of South Korea. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of South Korea, government and is ...
,
Hwang Kyo-ahn
Hwang Kyo-ahn (; born 15 April 1957) is a South Korean politician and prosecutor who served as the acting president of South Korea from 2016 to 2017 and as the prime minister of South Korea from 2015 to 2017.
Hwang served as minister of justi ...
, said that if the murder was confirmed to be masterminded by
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
, that would clearly depict the brutality and inhumanity of the regime.
United States
North Korea was relisted as a
state sponsor of terrorism
State-sponsored terrorism is terrorist violence carried out with the active support of national governments provided to violent non-state actors. It contrasts with ''state terrorism'', which is carried out directly by state actors.
States can s ...
by the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
on 20 November 2017, with the assassination cited as one of the reasons.
In March 2018, the
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
imposed additional sanctions on North Korea, having asserted that North Korea used VX nerve agent to assassinate Kim Jong-nam.
On 10 June 2019, after the trial, ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' reported that former US officials stated Kim had been a
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
source. A book by
Anna Fifield, ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' bureau chief in Beijing, had earlier reported this, stating he had been previously filmed abroad with a US intelligence agent, and had carried a backpack that contained $120,000 in cash.
Apology from North Korean officials to Vietnam
On 12 December 2018, it was reported that North Korean officials had informally apologized to Vietnam for involving a Vietnamese woman in the assassination following Vietnam's demands for an official apology and threats to sever
diplomatic ties
Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern Diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...
.
Other reactions
The Executive Council of the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW; French: ''Organisation pour l'interdiction des armes chimiques'', OIAC) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), ...
(OPCW) expressed "grave concern"
over the incident and called for those responsible for the use of chemical weapons to be held accountable.
Autopsy
An
autopsy
An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...
was conducted despite North Korean diplomats objecting to any such procedure on Kim's body.
Malaysian officials later commented that the autopsy proceeded as the North Korean diplomats failed to submit a formal protest.
A post-mortem on Kim was conducted on 15 February at the
Kuala Lumpur Hospital
Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (, abbr: ''HKL'') is the largest Malaysian government-owned public hospital and higher specialised hospital in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Hospital opened in 1870, HKL is a not-for-profit ...
mortuary in the presence of several North Korean officials,
and concluded the following day with formally confirming the identity of Kim's body.
The autopsy was conducted by
pathologist
Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...
Mohamad Shah Mahmood of Kuala Lumpur Hospital, who testified that Kim's
lungs
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart. Their function in the respiratory syste ...
,
brain
The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...
,
liver
The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...
and
spleen
The spleen (, from Ancient Greek '' σπλήν'', splḗn) is an organ (biology), organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter.
The spleen plays important roles in reg ...
were affected by the poison.
Chemical pathologist Nur Ashikin Othman testified that Kim's
urine
Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penile meatus (mal ...
showed the effects of being exposed to the poison.
Low levels of
acetylcholinesterase
Acetylcholinesterase (HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee, HGNC symbol ACHE; EC 3.1.1.7; systematic name acetylcholine acetylhydrolase), also known as AChE, AChase or acetylhydrolase, is the primary cholinesterase in the body. It is an enzyme th ...
indicated that Jong-nam had been exposed to an insecticide or nerve agent.
Forensic consultant Dr. Nurliza bte Abdullah testified that Jong-nam's
pupil constriction Pupillary reflex refers to one of the reflexes associated with pupillary function.
These include the pupillary light reflex and accommodation reflex. Although the pupillary response, in which the pupil dilates or constricts due to light is not usu ...
, and the
feces
Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the ...
in his underwear, suggested he had been poisoned.
On 24 February, Malaysia's police chief
Khalid Abu Bakar announced that a post-mortem toxicology report had found traces of the
nerve agent VX on Kim's face.
According to experts, the use of VX may explain why two assailants were involved, because the assailants "could have wiped two or more
precursors
Precursor or Precursors may refer to:
*Precursor (religion), a forerunner, predecessor
** The Precursor, John the Baptist
Science and technology
* Precursor (bird), hypothesized genus of fossil birds that was composed of fossilized parts of unre ...
" in Kim's face.
This is referred to as a
binary chemical weapon
__NOTOC__
Binary chemical weapons or munitions are chemical weapons which contain the toxic agent in its active state as chemical precursors that are significantly less toxic than the agent. This improves the safety of storing, transporting, and ...
.
This method could ensure that the assailants were not themselves killed by the poison, which can be fatal in very small amounts; additionally, smuggling the chemical components into Malaysia separately could have helped avoid detection.
Aisyah reported she vomited in the taxi afterward and has continued to feel unwell.
Chemical weapons experts Jean-Pascal Zanders and Richard Guthrie noted that the reported effects were not entirely consistent with the potency of VX—Kim was able to walk to the medical station without suffering spasms, paramedics were not affected, the assailants survived and there were no other reports of injury even though the scene of the attack was not cleaned for over a week. VX degrades rapidly in storage and North Korea's supplies are believed to be several years old, which could explain the apparent weakness of the chemical.
On 10 March, police completed the autopsy, confirming that the deceased was Kim Jong-nam based on DNA provided by his son
Kim Han-sol, and the body was handed to the
Ministry of Health for further action. The Health Ministry said they would then give Kim's family two to three weeks to claim his body, with the body having been
embalmed
Embalming is the art and science of preserving human remains by treating them with embalming chemicals in modern times to forestall decomposition. This is usually done to make the deceased suitable for viewing as part of the funeral ceremony or ...
to preserve it during the period. The family, however, declined to take the body and gave the Malaysian authorities permission to manage the remains. Over objections of Kim Han-sol, the body was flown to Pyongyang on 31 March. Kim Jong-nam's blazer, backpack and watch were initially submitted to a police chemistry department for analysis, but subsequently returned to officials from the North Korean embassy.
Diplomatic protest
Following Malaysia's refusal to release the body immediately, North Korea's ambassador Kang Chol accused Malaysia of collaborating with the country's enemies over the assassination of Kim Jong-nam. The ambassador said they would reject the outcome of the post-mortem conducted "on its citizen without permission" and perceived the decision as a "violation of human rights" and thus would lodge a complaint to the
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
(ICJ).
The ambassador was summoned by the government of Malaysia on 20 February, while the Malaysian ambassador to North Korea was recalled.
The ambassador then responded that they could not trust the investigation conducted by the Malaysian police, noting there had been no evidence of the cause of death even a week after the attack. He also proposed that North Korea and Malaysia open a joint investigation together in order to prevent influence from South Korea which, he said, was trying to malign North Korea as the party responsible for the killing. Malaysian Prime Minister
Najib Razak
Mohammad Najib bin Abdul Razak (, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018. In 2020, he was convicted of corruption in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, on ...
responded to the ambassador that his country would be objective during the investigation, rejecting the request for joint investigation. On 22 February, Malaysian police said there was evidence of an attempted break-in at the mortuary where Kim's body was being held.
The North Korean government rejected all findings, accused the Malaysian police of fabricating evidence in collusion with South Korea and demanded the release of the three people being held in connection with the death.
North Korean–Malaysian dispute
On 28 February, the North Korean government dispatched a high level delegation to Malaysia. North Korea said the claim that VX nerve agent was used to kill one of its citizens was "absurd" and lacked scientific basis, portraying it as an allegation jointly made by the United States and South Korea to tarnish its image, adding that the death was caused by a "heart attack" as Kim Jong-nam has a record of heart disease. The North Koreans stressed that if it was indeed caused by the chemical, it should be proven by the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW; French: ''Organisation pour l'interdiction des armes chimiques'', OIAC) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), ...
. Malaysian police immediately rejected the North Korean claims. However, in a statement released by the
Malaysian Foreign Ministry, the country said it was already co-operating with OPCW.
Malaysia announced that from 6 March they would cancel
visa
Visa most commonly refers to:
* Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country
* Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company
** Visa Debit card issued by the above company
** Visa Electron, a debit card
** Vi ...
-free entry for North Koreans, citing "security issues". On 4 March, the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol was declared ''
persona non grata
In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...
'' and asked to leave within 48 hours with a similar move having been imposed by North Korea towards the Malaysian ambassador. The North Korean authorities also reacted on 7 March by barring all Malaysian citizens in North Korea from leaving. Malaysian authorities imposed reciprocal measures, prohibiting North Korean citizens from leaving Malaysia.
On 30 March, former-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that all Malaysians in North Korea as well as North Koreans in Malaysia would be allowed to return to their home countries after the receipt of a letter from Kim's family requesting his remains be returned to North Korea.
Attempts to restore diplomatic relations
Following the
2018 North Korea–United States Summit held in
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
on 12 June 2018, the new Malaysian-led government of
Pakatan Harapan
Pakatan Harapan (PH; stylised as HARAPAN; ) is a Malaysian Parliamentary group, political coalition consisting of Centre-left politics, centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has led ...
under Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...
said:
''"the world should not treat North Korea leader Kim Jong-un with skepticism and instead learn from his new attitude towards bringing about peace".''
In a joint press conference in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, Japan, he said: "We hoped for a successful outcome from the historic meeting", adding that "Malaysia will re-open their embassy in North Korea as an end to the diplomatic row over the assassination of Kim Jong-nam". On 13 February 2019, Mahathir said that Malaysia will settle its problem with
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
soon after the
2019 North Korea–United States Vietnam Summit
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number)
* One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film
* '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film
* '' Di ...
held in
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
on 27–28 February 2019 but after the changing of leadership, no major statement has been issued since.
Further investigations
According to lead police investigator Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz, Kim Jong-nam told a friend that he feared his life was in danger six months before the assassination.
One of the suspects, Siti Aisyah, had been in Malaysia at least a day before the attack, reportedly to celebrate her birthday with her friends. Aisyah was a divorced mother who worked as a spa masseuse in Kuala Lumpur. She regularly returned to Indonesia to meet her mother and son. She told her mother that she found a better job as an actor in prank videos for the Chinese market.
After Hương and Aisyah were arrested, they claimed they thought they were participating in a prank.
According to both suspects, they were told to play harmless tricks on people in the vicinity for a prank TV show, one target being Kim Jong-nam.
They said they were promised US$100, but after losing contact with their handlers, they never received the money.
According to their lawyers, Hương was recruited in December 2016 in
Hanoi
Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, Vietnam, while Aisyah was recruited in January 2017 by a Malaysian scout working for the North Koreans. The women were handled by separate teams of North Korean men, who posed as being from Japan and China, one of the recruiters being Ri Ji-u.
Since their recruitment, Aisyah had performed the prank on at least 10 occasions. She was flown to
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...
to perform the prank three times with an offer of US$200, while Hương performed it four times in locations including the airport terminals and Mandarin Oriental hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
The prank involved approaching unsuspecting men and putting hands on their faces or kissing them on the cheek, then apologising before running away. Then Ri Ji-u said that a new actress and actor would join them for the airport prank. He described the actor as a fat and bald man with a "black bag and jacket", matching Kim's description on the day of his death.
The Malaysian police retrieved a photo of "James" from Siti Aisyah's phone. He was later identified as Ri Ji-u. The police searched for him but he was already in the North Korean embassy.
On 19 February, Malaysian police named four more North Korean suspects. They were identified as Ri Ji-hyon (aged 33), Hong Song-hak (34), O Jong-gil (55) and Ri Jae-nam (57), all of whom left Malaysia after the attack, and the Malaysian police requested help from
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
and other relevant authorities in tracking them. According to an unnamed source, the four suspects flew to
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
and
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...
before reaching
Pyongyang
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
. Three other male North Korean suspects were still in Malaysia: Ri Ji-u, who had lived in Malaysia for three years; Kim Uk-il, an employee of
Air Koryo
Air Koryo () is North Korea's flag carrier and only commercial airline. It is state-owned and controlled by the North Korean air force. Headquartered in Sunan-guyŏk, Pyongyang, it operates domestic and international routeson a regular schedul ...
; and Hyon Kwang-song, the
second secretary
Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...
at the North Korean embassy.
These suspects had taken refuge in the North Korean embassy.
On 22 February, Malaysia Royal Police Chief Khalid Khalid Abu Bakar said that the killing was "a planned effort" and that the two women arrested had been trained to carry out the attack and had repeatedly rehearsed it together at
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, also known as Pavilion KL, is a shopping centre situated in the Bukit Bintang, Bukit Jalil and Damansara Heights district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
History
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur was built on the former site of Bukit Bint ...
and
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) is a multipurpose development area in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. KLCC refers to the area within and surrounding the KLCC Park but the term has also been widely used by buildings nearby to the vicinity.
Designed to ...
(KLCC).
Khalid also alleged that the women apparently knew they were handling poisonous substances.
That same day, an unnamed Malaysian man believed to be a chemist was picked up by police during a raid on a condominium where he then led police to another condominium where various chemicals were seized.
On 28 February, both women were charged with murder, which carries a
mandatory death sentence.
A lawyer for Hương requested a second autopsy as he doubted Malaysian expertise, calling for experts from Japan and
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
as well pathologists from North Korea itself to be involved. The Malaysian police responded by telling the lawyer to appeal to the
high court.
On 3 March, the only detained North Korean suspect, Ri Jong-chol, was released and deported due to lack of evidence. While in transit through China, he told the media that the Malaysian police threatened to hurt his family if he did not confess his involvement in the murder and said his arrest was part of a "conspiracy". Malaysian police strongly denied his allegation.
On 16 March, Interpol issued a
red notice
An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...
for the four North Korean suspects who had fled to Pyongyang. The three North Korean suspects, Ri Ji-u, Kim Uk-il and Hyon Kwang-song, who were holed up in the North Korean embassy in Malaysia, were released on 30 March and allowed to return home after investigators interviewed them and cleared them of any wrongdoing.
On 22 March,
Yonhap News Agency
Yonhap News Agency (; ) is a major news agency in South Korea. It is based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap provides news articles, pictures, and other information to newspapers, TV networks and other media in South Korea.
History
Yonhap was esta ...
released information stating that Ri Ji-hyon, one of the four suspects who left Malaysia after the attack (the man with a cap on the photo from the airport CCTV), is the son of former North Korean ambassador to Vietnam Ri Hong. From November 2009, he worked as a trainee diplomat in Hanoi for more than a year before becoming an interpreter for another few years. With his ability to converse fluently in the
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese () is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language Speech, spoken primarily in Vietnam where it is the official language. It belongs to the Vietic languages, Vietic subgroup of the Austroasiatic language family. Vietnamese is s ...
, he was suspected of having seduced and lured the Vietnamese national Hương into a fake TV prank, making her believe that he was a rich South Korean man. On the request of the Judicial Authorities of Malaysia, Interpol had published a red notice for Ri Ji-hyon for his involvement in the murder plot.
According to the forensics investigation, Kim had a
Dell
Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), Server (computing), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcam ...
laptop
A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...
which had accessed data stored on a USB
pen drive while he was in
Langkawi
Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) located some 30 km off the coast of northwe ...
, though the pen drive was not in his possession when he died.
Murder trial
The murder trial of Siti Aisyah and Đoàn Thị Hương began on 2 October 2017, at the High Court in
Shah Alam
Shah Alam (, from Persian language, Persian, meaning "king of the world") is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia which is situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District. Shah Alam rep ...
,
Selangor
Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, with both pleading not guilty.
Judge Datuk Azmi Ariffin was the presiding judge.
A Malaysian government chemist testified before the court that VX degradation products were found on the two women.
The testimony was the first evidence to provide a link between the defendants and the VX nerve agent.
Claims by North Korean authorities that Kim had died of a heart attack were disputed by pathologist Mohamad Shah Mahmood, who told the court there was no evidence of a heart attack on autopsy and that post-mortem toxicology reports showed VX was the sole cause of death.
Under cross-examination by both defense lawyers, Mohamad, however, acknowledged he had limited knowledge of nerve agents in general and said he did not know the amount of the poison that was used.
Another chemical pathologist, Nur Ashikin Othman, told the court that Kim had very low blood levels of
cholinesterase
The enzyme cholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8, choline esterase; systematic name acylcholine acylhydrolase) catalyses the hydrolysis of choline-based esters:
: an acylcholine + H2O = choline + a carboxylate
Several of these serve as neurotransmitte ...
, the enzyme inhibited by
anticholinesterase agents such as VX. She also stated that cholinesterase levels were within the normal range for both defendants, but that this did not rule out the possibility they had been in contact with VX.
Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital doctor Ranjini Sivaganabalan, a specialist in poisons, testified that VX may not be fatal in very low dosages and disagreed with an assertion that as little as 10 milligrams of VX would be lethal to humans, and claimed that a person with VX on their hands may not be fully decontaminated by washing it off with soap and water.
Toxicologist K. Sharmilah testified that vials of
atropine
Atropine is a tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate, and to decrease saliva production during surgery. It is typically give ...
, a drug used as an antidote to poisoning with nerve agents such as VX, were found in Kim Jong-nam's bag. On 8 October, the trial had to be moved to a high-security laboratory due to the danger posed by the nerve agent-tainted clothing admitted into evidence.
Police investigator Wan Azirul identified four suspects in the CCTV images as Mr. Chang (identified as Hong Song-hac), Mr. Y (Rhi Ji-hyon), James (O Jong-gil), and Hanamori (a.k.a. "Grandpa" and "Uncle") (Ri Jae-nam). The men were not arrested because Malaysian police did not have sufficient information to identify or locate the suspects, according to investigating officer Wan Azirul and Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin.
When the trial resumed in January 2018, Justice Azmi Ariffin ruled that certain CCTV records could not be admitted as evidence. On 14 March, Hương's lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, presented a recorded statement from Nguyễn Bích Thủy, a bar owner and Hương's friend, to the
Vietnamese police on 1 March 2017, detailing how Hương was recruited by a man named as "Li" (identified as Rhi Ji-hyon). Through the statement, Thủy said:
During the cross examination, the defence lawyer also produced an
affidavit
An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...
Thủy had made the previous October that also contained her police statement.
The Malaysian police lead investigator Wan Azirul then came under fire from the lawyer after he admitted not seeking out Thủy even though the accused (Hương) had mentioned her in her statement, with the lawyer said "In doing an investigation you are supposed to look for the truth, but your investigation is only focused on the CCTV footage. The truth is there (in Vietnam) but no one in Malaysia is interested".
The lawyer also told that in November he had asked the Malaysian attorney general's office for assistance in convincing Thủy to travel to Malaysia to testify about her role in introducing Hương to the North Korean man. The request was however declined when another attorney representing Hương, Salim Bashir said "It's unfortunate that the attorney general declined to exercise his power to do this and in doing that deprived us of having the opportunity for police to go to Vietnam and investigate".
Salim added that the fact that security videos showed Hương appeared to be touching her hair briefly after approaching Kim and going to a toilet farther away to wash her hands showed an "innocent mind" and not the conduct of someone who knew she had poison on her hand.
According to lawyer Hisyam, Thủy also turned down efforts by Vietnamese police and defence lawyers to travel to Malaysia to testify for Hương, citing her responsibility in running her bar with her husband and taking care of her young child.
Meanwhile, on the Siti Aisyah side according to her lawyer Gooi Soon Seng, he slammed Malaysian investigators for not allowing him to meet Aisyah during her 14-day remand and not releasing portions of the video linked to the attack as well for the authorities failure to copy all the footage from the CCTV server of the airport which compromised the defence of Aisyah.
The lawyer blamed the police for not publishing the entire incident of the video during the attack as it was seen during the trials that police had deliberately cut off the key moments of the killing from the video that the accused (Aisyah) was adjusting glasses after attacking the victim (to which the footage of Aisyah wearing sunglasses was dropped as evidence is not appropriate when police are trying to convict his client of murder). The lawyer adding that police has failed to investigate crucial evidence such as Aisyah's jeans and glasses that were not sent for lab tests. Based on a chemistry department test also showing that Aisyah's finger nail cuttings, nail swabs and blood found no traces of VX.
Both defence lawyers agreed that their clients did not know they were handling poison and made a scapegoat moreover with the absence of the four North Korean suspects.
Through the trial from 20 March, Hisyam screened a video of CCTV recorded at
Noi Bai International Airport
Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is the country’s second largest and busiest international airport for passenger traffic, after Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. It is currently the mai ...
on 2 February 2017, on her client played a prank on a Vietnamese government official named Trịnh Ngọc Linh in Hanoi less than two weeks before the attack, which showed her approaching the man from behind and putting her arms around his neck.
Another video screened by the lawyer showing Hương acting as the victim of pranks played by a Vietnamese filmmaker, Nguyễn Mạnh Quang (also known as Quang Bek). Through an affidavit made by Quang, Quang said he had hired Hương to act in the video, which recorded in 2016.
The lawyer then explained that "these videos explain why the accused identified herself as an actress" and questioned police investigator Wan Azirul if he "made some efforts to track Quang after receiving affidavits and ask if the task was important or that it was a waste of time" which was replied by "no efforts was made and agreeing to the latter question". The Malaysian police investigator however deny the blame that with the absence of four North Korean suspects their investigation had caused prejudice, insisting that "as for the case, the main perpetrators who committed the killing are the two accused", as well denying on the accusation that Malaysian police did not take adequate measures to pursue the four men, stressing that Interpol had issued an alert for the four men to be arrested based on Malaysia's request.
After being questioned by another Hương lawyer Naran Singh during the session hearing, the police investigator admitted there was a mistake in his investigation due to pressure from previous Malaysian police Chief Khalid though Wan Azirul still declining the claim that his investigation is controlled by his superior.
Closing argument
A closing argument, summation, or summing up is the concluding statement of each party's counsel reiterating the important arguments for the trier of fact, often the jury, in a court case. A closing argument occurs after the presentation of evi ...
s in the trial began on 27 June 2018. On 16 August, the Malaysian court has decided to continue the trial on 1 November until April 2019, with the judge saying that "a political assassination cannot be ruled out" although there was not enough evidence to say, adding that security camera footage "showed that they had the knowledge that the liquid on their hands was toxic and there was no hidden crew and no attempt to bring the person in on the joke afterward, as is common in reality TV prank shows". Both of the accused are then being called to enter their defense since the trial would take another few months before a final verdict is reached. On 1 September, the Malaysian police are tracking down two Indonesian women who are willing to testify on the case.
On 28 January 2019, the trial was postponed to March.
Dismissal of murder charges
Release of Siti Aisyah

In March 2019, Siti Aisyah was released after her murder charge was dismissed. Both the Indonesian and Vietnamese media later revealed that her release was due to a request letter sent by the Indonesian government, which had received a response from Malaysian attorney general
Tommy Thomas.
This was later admitted by Thomas and confirmed by
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
, though Thomas refused to respond to other media sources when asked to comment on the decision.
On 13 March,
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Malay language, Malay: ''Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri''; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a member of Cabinet of Malaysia who administers a portfolio through the Prime Minister's Department (Malaysia) ...
Liew Vui Keong
Zachary David Liew Vui Keong (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Liù Vî-khiòng''; 18 January 1960 – 2 October 2020) was a Malaysian politician who served as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs in the Pakatan Harap ...
further explained that the power to dismiss charges against any individual in Malaysia rests with the nation's attorney general as established in the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
. Despite similar callings from the Vietnamese government to release Đoàn Thị Hương in the manner of the Indonesian suspect, Malaysian prosecutors rejected the request and said the trial would continue to proceed with a postponement until 1 April due to Hương's poor health and psychological condition—she had not slept for three nights following the Malaysian attorney general's decision to drop the charges against Aisyah.
Reactions
Hương's defence lawyers felt the Malaysian government was practicing discrimination in the
judiciary system since the court previously stated that it found a ''
prima facie
''Prima facie'' (; ) is a Latin expression meaning "at first sight", or "based on first impression". The literal translation would be "at first face" or "at first appearance", from the feminine forms of ' ("first") and ' ("face"), both in the a ...
'' case against both suspects but only released one. They provided reasons for doing so, such as "taking consideration of
good relations between Indonesia and Malaysia thus agreed to the passage of ''
'' for Aisyah", as evidenced from the discovery of the hidden letter delivered by the attorney general of Malaysia to the
Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights as a response towards their appeal request.
The Malaysian attorney general's different treatment towards the two suspects attracted criticism from
Ramkarpal Singh
Ramkarpal Singh s/o Karpal Singh (; born 9 April 1976) commonly referred to as Ramkarpal Singh, is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Gelugor since May 2014. He served as the Deputy ...
, the Malaysian Member of Parliament for
Bukit Gelugor. Ramkarpal felt that Thomas's refusal to withdraw the murder charge against the second suspect was "mind boggling and raises questions about the powers of attorney general in the country".
He further stated:
Vietnamese
Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Lê Thị Thu Hằng regretted the Malaysian attorney general's decision and called for a fair trial on the case. Her statement was echoed by other Vietnamese ministers, including Foreign Minister
Phạm Bình Minh
Phạm Bình Minh (; born 26 March 1959) is a Vietnamese diplomat and politician serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2021 and as Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam from 2013 to 2023. Between September 2021 and his dismissal i ...
, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, and Vietnamese ambassador to Malaysia Lê Quý Quỳnh. The release of Siti Aisyah "sparked anger in Malaysia", with sources suggesting that the release was a result of political
lobbying
Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...
and "diplomatic pressure" from the Indonesian government; Malaysian Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...
"denied that the Malaysian government caved in to diplomatic pressure", claiming that he had "no information" regarding the assassination and that the release was done based on the "
rule of law
The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...
".
Bridget Welsh, a
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
expert with
John Cabot University
John Cabot University (JCU) is a private American university in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1972 and it offers undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and study abroad programs to English-speaking students. The university has more than 700 ...
, predicted that the decision will risk a "thorny
bilateral
Bilateral may refer to any concept including two sides, in particular:
*Bilateria, bilateral animals
*Bilateralism, the political and cultural relations between two states
*Bilateral, occurring on both sides of an organism ( Anatomical terms of l ...
problem with Vietnam if there is no similar treatment towards their citizen".
Malaysian Chinese Association
The Malaysian Chinese Association (Abbreviation, abbrev: MCA; Malay language, Malay: ''Persatuan Cina Malaysia''), formerly known as the Malayan Chinese Association, is an ethnic List of political parties in Malaysia, political party in Malaysi ...
(MCA) President
Wee Ka Siong
Wee Ka Siong ( zh, t=, s=魏家祥, p=Wèi Jiāxiáng, c=, poj=Gūi Ka-siông; born 20 October 1968) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician and engineer who has served as the Dewan Rakyat, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayer Hitam (federa ...
expressed concern over possible meddling in the trial outcome. According to Wee, he had obtained a reply to his written question during a Parliament session in Malaysia, where Prime Minister Mahathir said that the attorney general could still follow his directive even though the attorney general had the discretion to decide on the timeline for criminal prosecution procedures. His statement was followed by MCA spokeswoman Chan Quin Er, who echoed Ramkarpal's statements and stressed that "Malaysian laws should not discriminate" and everyone "is equal before the law".
Outgoing
Malaysian Bar
The Malaysian Bar () is a professional body which regulates the profession of lawyers in peninsular Malaysia. In Malaysia, there is no distinction between a barrister and a solicitor, in that, it is a fused profession. Membership into the Bar ...
president George Varughese expressed that "the Attorney General has the prerogative to drop charges", but "it would be good if the Attorney General could give his reasons for dropping the charges" to avoid speculation. Other Malaysian lawyers viewed the decision as discriminatory against Hương—not only in the sense of Malaysia's justice system, but also to the public (who mostly wanted a fair, transparent trial), as voiced by lawyer Nur Hannan Ishak.
Sentencing and release of Đoàn Thị Hương
On 1 April 2019, the murder charge against Hương was dropped, and she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of "voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means." She was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, but received a one-third reduction in her term, and was released on 3 May.
See also
*
North Korea's illicit activities
*
List of assassinations
This is a list of successful assassinations, sorted by location. For failed assassination attempts, see List of people who survived assassination attempts.
For the purposes of this article, an assassination is defined as the deliberate, premedit ...
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Jong-nam
2017 in international relations
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2010s in Kuala Lumpur
February 2017 crimes in Asia
February 2017 in Malaysia
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Deaths by poisoning
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Filmed assassinations
Filmed killings in Asia
Targeted killing
Terrorism committed by North Korea
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Kim Jong Un
Malaysia–North Korea relations
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