Two women accused of murdering Kim Jong Nam face the death penalty if found guilty

A WOMAN who was allegedly paid just $90 to kill Kim Jong-un’s half-brother faces death by hanging if she’s found guilty of the crime.

Siti Aisyah of Indonesia faced death by hanging if found guilty of the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam. Picture: AFP

TWO women accused of killing the half brother of North Korea’s leader with a nerve agent in a Kuala Lumpur airport terminal will be charged with murder, and face death by hanging if found guilty of the crime.

Malaysia’s attorney general Mohamed Apandi Ali said Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong will be charged Wednesday and would face a mandatory death sentence if convicted.

“They will be charged in court under Section 302 (murder) of the penal code,” said Mr Apandi Ali, two weeks after the half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un was killed.

Siti Aisyah of Indonesia faced death by hanging if found guilty of the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam. Picture: AFP

According to reports, Siti Aisyah was paid just $90 for the assassination she thought was a prank.

Two other suspects in the February 13 killing of Kim Jong Nam have been arrested: a Malaysian who is out on bail and a North Korean who remains in custody.

Asked if the North Korean will be charged, Apandi said it depends on the outcome of the investigations.

Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam is also accused of the murder of Kim Jong Nam. Picture: AFP

Authorities also are seeking another seven North Korean suspects, four of whom fled the country the day of Kim’s death and are believed to be back in North Korea.

The killing of Kim Jong Nam took place amid crowds of travellers at Kuala Lumpur’s airport and appeared to be a well-planned hit. Malaysian authorities say North Koreans put the deadly nerve agent VX on the hands of Aisyah and Huong, who then placed the toxin on Kim’s face. Kim died on the way to a hospital, within about 20 minutes of the attack.

Kim Jong Nam was killed with a VX nerve agent. Picture: AP

South Korean lawmakers said Monday that the country’s National Intelligence Service told them in a private briefing that four of the North Koreans identified as suspects are from the Ministry of State Security, the North’s spy organ.