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Assassination of Kim Jong-nam

SOLVED2017Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2), Sepang3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, died at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia after being attacked with VX nerve agent. Kim had lived abroad since his exile from North Korea in 2003 and was traveling under the pseudonym "Kim Chol." He arrived at KLIA2's departure hall around 9:00 a.m. to catch a 10:50 a.m. AirAsia flight to Macau, after having visited the resort island of Langkawi. Two women approached him and applied separate components of VX to his face and hands, which combined to form the lethal nerve agent. Kim reported to an airport receptionist that he had been grabbed from behind and had liquid splashed on his face. He was treated at an airport clinic, given atropine, adrenaline and tracheal intubation, but died roughly 15 to 20 minutes after the attack while being transported to Putrajaya Hospital.

Malaysian police arrested Đoàn Thị Hương, a Vietnamese national, on 15 February, and Siti Aisyah, an Indonesian national, on 16 February, identifying both through CCTV footage. Both women were charged with murder, which carried a mandatory death sentence under Malaysian law. Both said they believed they were participating in a prank for a hidden-camera video and had been promised payment they never received. According to their lawyers, they had been separately recruited and handled by North Korean men posing as being from Japan and China, and had rehearsed similar "pranks" on other unsuspecting people on multiple prior occasions. Malaysian police also named several North Korean suspects, including four men who left Malaysia shortly after the attack and reached Pyongyang, and others who took refuge in the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur and were later released without charge after being interviewed and cleared. One detained North Korean man, Ri Jong-chol, was released and deported due to lack of evidence.

An autopsy, conducted despite North Korean objections, found VX degradation products on Kim's body and on the two women's clothing, and a pathologist testified there was no evidence of the heart attack North Korea claimed had caused his death. The murder trial of Aisyah and Hương began in October 2017 at the High Court in Shah Alam. Testimony covered forensic toxicology, CCTV evidence, and the women's history of performing similar "prank" videos. In March 2019, Malaysia's attorney general dropped the murder charge against Aisyah following a request from the Indonesian government, and she was released. Malaysian prosecutors initially declined similar treatment for Hương, prompting criticism from lawyers and Vietnamese officials that this was discriminatory. On 1 April 2019, the murder charge against Hương was also dropped, and she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, receiving a sentence of three years and four months, reduced by one-third; she was released on 3 May 2019.

The assassination triggered a diplomatic dispute between Malaysia and North Korea, including expulsion of ambassadors, travel restrictions on each other's citizens, and North Korea's rejection of Malaysian findings. The United States later cited the assassination as one reason for relisting North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism and imposed sanctions over North Korea's use of VX nerve agent.

Key facts

Victims
Kim Jong-nam
Date
2017
Location
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2), Sepang
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2003

    Kim Jong-nam went into exile from North Korea and began living abroad.

  2. 2017-02-06

    Kim Jong-nam arrived in Malaysia.

  3. 2017-02-08

    Kim Jong-nam traveled to the resort island of Langkawi.

  4. 2017-02-13

    Kim Jong-nam was attacked with VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2) and died shortly afterward en route to Putrajaya Hospital.

  5. 2017-02-15

    Malaysian police arrested Đoàn Thị Hương at Kuala Lumpur International Airport; an autopsy on Kim Jong-nam was conducted at Kuala Lumpur Hospital mortuary.

  6. 2017-02-16

    Malaysian police arrested Siti Aisyah and Muhammad Farid bin Jalaluddin; autopsy confirmed Kim's identity.

  7. 2017-02-17

    Police arrested North Korean man Ri Jong-chol.

  8. 2017-02-19

    Malaysian police named four additional North Korean suspects who had already left the country.

  9. 2017-02-22

    Malaysia's police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the killing was a planned effort involving trained and rehearsed suspects.

  10. 2017-02-24

    Malaysia's police chief announced that a post-mortem toxicology report found traces of VX nerve agent on Kim's face.

  11. 2017-02-28

    Both women were formally charged with murder; North Korea dispatched a high-level delegation to Malaysia.

  12. 2017-03-03

    Ri Jong-chol was released and deported due to lack of evidence.

  13. 2017-03-04

    North Korean ambassador Kang Chol was declared persona non grata by Malaysia.

  14. 2017-03-10

    Police completed the autopsy, confirming Kim Jong-nam's identity via DNA from his son Kim Han-sol.

  15. 2017-03-16

    Interpol issued a red notice for four North Korean suspects who had fled to Pyongyang.

  16. 2017-03-30

    Three North Korean suspects sheltering in the embassy were released and allowed to return home after being cleared.

  17. 2017-03-31

    Kim Jong-nam's body was flown to Pyongyang.

  18. 2017-10-02

    The murder trial of Siti Aisyah and Đoàn Thị Hương began at the High Court in Shah Alam, Selangor.

  19. 2017-11-20

    The United States relisted North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, citing the assassination as one reason.

  20. 2018-03

    The U.S. State Department imposed additional sanctions on North Korea over its assessed use of VX nerve agent in the assassination.

  21. 2018-06-27

    Closing arguments in the murder trial began.

  22. 2018-08-16

    The court ruled the trial would continue, stating a political assassination could not be ruled out.

  23. 2018-12-12

    North Korean officials reportedly informally apologized to Vietnam over the assassination.

  24. 2019-01-28

    The trial was postponed to March.

  25. 2019-03

    Siti Aisyah's murder charge was dismissed and she was released, following a request from the Indonesian government.

  26. 2019-04-01

    The murder charge against Đoàn Thị Hương was dropped; she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to three years and four months.

  27. 2019-05-03

    Đoàn Thị Hương was released from prison.

  28. 2019-06-10

    The Wall Street Journal reported that former U.S. officials stated Kim Jong-nam had been a CIA source.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Kim Jong-nam

    VICTIM

    Older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un; killed by VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 13 February 2017.

    citation on file

  • Ri Jong-chol

    CHARGED

    North Korean man arrested on 17 February 2017 in connection with the case; released and deported on 3 March 2017 due to lack of evidence.

    citation on file

  • Ri Ji-hyon

    CHARGED

    North Korean suspect named by Malaysian police on 19 February 2017; left Malaysia after the attack, and Interpol issued a red notice for him on 16 March 2017.

    citation on file

  • Ri Jae-nam

    CHARGED

    North Korean suspect named by Malaysian police on 19 February 2017; left Malaysia after the attack, subject of an Interpol red notice.

    citation on file

  • Siti Aisyah

    ACQUITTED

    Indonesian national charged with murder; murder charge dismissed in March 2019 after it emerged she was allegedly used unknowingly in the attack, and she was released.

    citation on file

  • O Jong-gil

    CHARGED

    North Korean suspect named by Malaysian police on 19 February 2017; left Malaysia after the attack, subject of an Interpol red notice.

    citation on file

  • Hong Song-hak

    CHARGED

    North Korean suspect named by Malaysian police on 19 February 2017; left Malaysia after the attack, subject of an Interpol red notice.

    citation on file

  • Đoàn Thị Hương

    CONVICTED

    Vietnamese national charged with murder; murder charge dropped, but she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means and was sentenced to three years and four months, released 3 May 2019.

    citation on file

  • Muhammad Farid bin Jalaluddin

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Malaysian national and Siti Aisyah's boyfriend; arrested on 16 February 2017 to assist in the investigation (not shown as charged in available source text).

    citation on file

  • Hyon Kwang-song

    ACQUITTED

    Second secretary at the North Korean embassy who took refuge there; released on 30 March 2017 after being cleared of wrongdoing.

    citation on file

  • Ri Ji-u

    ACQUITTED

    North Korean suspect who recruited one of the women and took refuge in the North Korean embassy; released on 30 March 2017 after being cleared of wrongdoing.

    citation on file

  • Kim Uk-il

    ACQUITTED

    North Korean Air Koryo employee who took refuge in the North Korean embassy; released on 30 March 2017 after being cleared of wrongdoing.

    citation on file

Places

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2), Sepang

2.7431, 101.6861

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was killed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport when two women smeared VX nerve agent on his face. Two women were charged with murder; the charges were later dropped after it emerged they had unknowingly been used, and one pleaded guilty to a lesser assault charge.
Where did the crime happen?
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2), Sepang.
Who was convicted?
Đoàn Thị Hương (Vietnamese national charged with murder; murder charge dropped, but she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means and was sentenced to three years and four months, released 3 May 2019.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. Assassination of Kim Jong-namwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage of Kim Jong-nam's death and arrest of a female suspectnews · The Guardian · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage of the killing of Kim Jong-un's brother in Malaysianews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
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