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MALAYSIA-NKOREA-CRIME CHRONO
A timeline of events in the Kim assassination
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Two women charged with assassinating
the estranged half-brother of North Korea’s leader were ordered to enter
their defence in their long-running trial Thursday, marking the next chapter
in a story that has gripped the world.
A Malaysian judge ruled there was enough evidence to support a murder
charge against Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam.
The women are accused of smearing a deadly nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam’s
face as he waited for a flight at Kuala Lumpur airport.
Here is a timeline of key events in the killing.
The Hit
A portly North Korean man, later identified as Kim Jong Nam, dies after
being attacked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13. Seoul
points the finger at its northern neighbour and says it was a political hit
aimed at weeding out potential rivals to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Malaysian detectives track down two migrant women — one Vietnamese and one
Indonesian — who they say are seen on CCTV carrying out the attack.
The two women, who are eventually charged with murder, say they had been
paid to carry out what they thought was a prank for a reality TV show.
An autopsy reveals Kim died from exposure to the VX nerve agent, an
artificial chemical so deadly it is banned under international treaty and
classified by the UN as a weapon of mass destruction.
The Fallout
Kuala Lumpur arrests North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol in connection with
the murder. Over the following days investigators say diplomats and airline
employees from the isolated regime are also wanted for questioning. All are
holed up at the North Korean embassy or have already left the country.
North Korea pours scorn on what it calls “absurd” claims that VX was used,
saying South Korea and the US are mounting a smear campaign against it.
Pyongyang insists the dead man was called Kim Chol and demands his body be
returned. Investigators refuse to release the corpse.
Malaysia cancels a visa-free travel deal with North Korea and deports North
Korea’s ambassador. Pyongyang hits back, expelling Malaysia’s envoy.
Tensions escalate after North Korea bans all Malaysians from leaving
Pyongyang. Malaysia retaliates and the international community calls for calm
amid allegations of hostage holding.
The Detente
In early March, Ri Jong Chol is released from custody and deported from
Malaysia. Frustrated Malaysian police say they believed he was involved in
the plot but lacked evidence to prove it.
At the end of the month, Malaysia’s then-Prime Minister Najib Razak
announces an agreement has been reached to return the body to North Korea.
Nine Malaysians stuck in Pyongyang will be free to travel and North Koreans
in Kuala Lumpur will be allowed to go home.
In October, the two women go on trial over the murder. They maintain their
innocence.
Four men formally accused on a charge sheet of plotting with the women to
murder Kim Jong Nam are identified by a police officer as North Koreans who
fled Malaysia immediately after the assassination. The women’s lawyers insist
they are the real masterminds.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1243 hrs