February 13, 2017, started out like any other humid morning at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Travelers were checking in, sipping coffee, and rushing toward gates. Among them was a heavy-set man in a suit jacket and jeans, carrying a backpack. He was traveling under the name "Kim Chol," but that was a lie.
His real name was Kim Jong Nam. He was the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and the estranged half-brother of the current Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un. Within twenty minutes of walking into the terminal, he would be dying.
The story of the Kim Jong Un brother death isn't just a news snippet from the past. It's a surreal, dark tale involving a banned chemical weapon, a "prank" gone wrong, and a cold-blooded assassination carried out in broad daylight. Honestly, it sounds like a plot from a Bourne movie, but every bit of it is true.
The "Prank" That Killed a Prince
Two women approached Kim Jong Nam near a self-service check-in kiosk. One was Siti Aisyah from Indonesia, and the other was Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam. In a matter of seconds, they wiped a liquid on his face.
The women later claimed they thought they were filming a hidden-camera prank show. They'd been paid a few dollars to do similar "pranks" in malls and airports for weeks leading up to this. They thought they were smearing baby oil or lotion on a stranger for a laugh.
They were wrong.
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What they actually smeared on his skin was VX nerve agent. This stuff is terrifying. It's an amber-colored liquid with the consistency of motor oil, and it is one of the most lethal chemical weapons ever created. The UN classifies it as a weapon of mass destruction. A tiny drop, smaller than a grain of sand, can shut down the human nervous system in minutes.
The Science of a Slow Death
Kim Jong Nam didn't drop dead instantly. He actually walked to an information desk. He told staff someone had sprayed something on him and that he felt dizzy. Security footage shows him walking relatively normally at first, but his body was already failing.
- Symptoms: He started sweating profusely.
- The Seizure: By the time he reached the airport clinic, he was in pain and unresponsive.
- The End: He suffered a massive seizure and died in the ambulance on the way to Putrajaya Hospital.
Malaysian pathologists later found that the VX had entered his eyes and skin, causing his lungs to fill with fluid and his internal organs to basically stop communicating with his brain. It was a brutal, clinical execution.
Why Did Kim Jong Nam Have to Die?
You might wonder why a guy living in exile, who spent most of his time in Macau gambling and eating at nice restaurants, was a threat. To understand that, you have to look at the "Paektu Bloodline."
In North Korea, the right to rule is tied to your blood. As the eldest son, Kim Jong Nam was technically the rightful heir. He lost his father's favor back in 2001 when he got caught trying to sneak into Japan on a fake Dominican Republic passport to visit Disneyland. That embarrassment got him kicked out of the inner circle.
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But he didn't stay quiet. He told journalists that North Korea needed reform. He criticized the hereditary succession. Worse for the regime, he was reportedly under the protection of China. Some analysts believe Beijing viewed him as a "plan B"—someone they could install as leader if Kim Jong Un ever fell from power.
The CIA Connection
In 2019, a massive bombshell dropped. The Wall Street Journal reported that Kim Jong Nam had been a CIA informant. He had reportedly met with US intelligence officers in Malaysia just days before he was killed. When he died, he was carrying nearly $124,000 in cash in his backpack.
For Kim Jong Un, this was likely the final straw. A rival heir talking to the Americans is the ultimate act of treason in the eyes of Pyongyang.
The Trial and the Great Escape
The aftermath was a mess. Malaysia arrested the two women, but the men who actually planned the hit? They were long gone.
Four North Korean "travelers" had watched the assassination from a nearby restaurant. As soon as the deed was done, they hopped on planes and headed back to Pyongyang. By the time the police realized what had happened, the masterminds were behind the world's most fortified border.
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Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong faced the death penalty. Their defense was simple: they were "useful idiots" who had been tricked. It sounds hard to believe, but the evidence backed them up. They hadn't worn gloves. They hadn't run away like professional killers. They had actually gone to the bathroom to wash their hands—which is probably the only reason they didn't die from the VX themselves.
Eventually, the charges were dropped. Siti Aisyah was released in March 2019 after intense lobbying from the Indonesian government. Doan Thi Huong pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of "causing hurt" and was released a few months later.
What This Tells Us About North Korea
This wasn't a "secret" hit. Doing it in a crowded international airport was a choice. It was a message to every North Korean defector and every potential rival: We can find you anywhere. We have weapons you can't see. And we don't care who is watching.
The Kim Jong Un brother death solidified the leader's power. It removed the only other male heir who could claim the throne. Since then, the focus has shifted to Kim's daughter, Kim Ju Ae, who is being groomed for a future role, showing just how much the family tree has been "pruned."
Key Takeaways for Your Own Security
While most of us aren't international figures of interest, the Kim Jong Nam case taught the world a few things about modern threats:
- Social Engineering is Real: The assassins didn't use soldiers; they used unsuspecting civilians. If a stranger offers you money to do something "weird" for a video, it’s a red flag.
- Chemical Hazards: The use of binary agents (two non-lethal chemicals that become deadly when mixed) is a known tactic. If you're ever in a public space and someone smears an unknown liquid on you, don't just "wash it off"—seek immediate medical attention and alert authorities.
- Geopolitics Affect Travel: Following this event, Malaysia scrapped its visa-free entry for North Koreans. Always check travel advisories if you're heading to regions with high diplomatic tension.
To dig deeper into how the regime operates today, you should look into the recent public appearances of Kim Ju Ae, which many experts believe is the next phase of the North Korean succession plan. Understanding the "bloodline" politics is the only way to predict what happens next in Pyongyang.