# Kim Jong-nam Murdered **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 15, 2017, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891 "2017-02-15T07:17:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/41 "2017-02-20T06:49:51Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Part of me wonders if China thought of him as their own “reserve dictator of North Korea” if Jong-un got too frisky or troublesome. Quietly eliminate the kid and put their pet Kim on the throne. > > More to the point, even if China wasn’t really thinking that, would it matter if Jong-un thought they were? There was certainly speculation (however well-informed) about that possibility. I saw [one article on that subject](https://www.nknews.org/2016/02/prodigal-son-will-an-exacerbated-china-turn-to-kim-jong-nam/) that was apparently published in between his death and its announcement. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/42 "2017-02-20T13:52:56Z")
I saw the video of the attack. Whatever they sprayed in his face worked fast. Kim never had a chance. That’s got to have the security teams of other prominent people worried. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/43 "2017-02-20T14:20:11Z")
Here’s [CCTV footage of the attack and aftermath](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XNK6GrB21U). There appears to be two female assailants and the attack lasts for two or three seconds before the women walk away in opposite directions. It doesn’t appear to have been a fast-acting toxin or poison since Kim Jong-nam is able to walk around for some time afterwards, while seeking assistance. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/44 "2017-02-20T19:23:16Z")
I’ve wondered if Jong-un has recently had a son, or has one in utero. Killing off potential pretenders to the throne and paving the way for his son seems a Kim-ish thing to do. Like Ottoman sultans killing their brothers and brothers’ families. StG ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/45 "2017-02-20T20:17:01Z")
I’m not a professional - or even amateur - assassin, but it would seem to me that a dazzlingly white top with huge distinctive letters emblazoned on it is not the most clandestine disguise for such an operation. The assassin appears to have still been wearing it leaving the airport. I’m reminded of the high-profile assassination in 2010 of the Hamas military commander Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh at a hotel in Dubai. I still find it a bit amazing that despite the [photos of 26 suspects being released by investigators](http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2013/02/mossad.jpg), no-one, as far I’m aware, has been publicly identified. It would appear, from the photos, that the most effective disguise is black rimmed spectacles. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/46 "2017-02-20T22:14:02Z")
**Walken** - The LOL woman was caught, though. And claims she was duped, being told that she was filming a reality prank video. The fact that she was wearing such a high-profile shirt sort of supports her claim, but I doubt the Malaysian government will be very sympathetic. StG ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/47 "2017-02-20T22:45:35Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > **Walken** - The LOL woman was caught, though. And claims she was duped, being told that she was filming a reality prank video. The fact that she was wearing such a high-profile shirt sort of supports her claim, but I doubt the Malaysian government will be very sympathetic. > > StG That would give some credence to an otherwise ludicrous and implausible-sounding story, I suppose. The video footage does not give a clear view of the actual attack and so its not entirely clear what exactly is going on. It does look somewhat violent, albeit very briefly, so it’s difficult to say whether it would fall within the parameters of what one might expect for a prank. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/48 "2017-02-22T04:35:54Z")
[Pictures](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/20/north-korean-suspect-kim-jong-nam-murder-had-chemistry-degree/) of the suspects released. A “security source” said of one of the women: > [@](#): > > "She claimed she was recruited in January by a middle-aged man who spoke Japanese and Malay. She said the recruiter told her they needed her to do a prank for a TV show. In return, she said, she would receive one million Indonesian rupiah (£60). > > "She was told her job was to touch the cheeks, poke and put sauce on the face of a rich man. > > “She did not think there was anything suspicious and saw it as a chance to get on TV.” Also, it’s reported that there was an attempted break-in at the mortuary where the body is being kept. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/49 "2017-02-22T06:59:51Z")
**Kim Jong-nam killing: Malaysia seeks North Korea embassy official** > [@](#): > > Indonesian authorities have said Siti Aisyah had thought she was taking part in a TV prank, but Mr Khalid said the women had clearly been “instructed to clean their hands” and that they knew the substance was toxic. > **[Kim Jong-nam killing: Senior N Korea diplomat named as suspect](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39048658)** > > Malaysia wants to question an embassy official and an airline worker over Kim Jong-nam's killing. This assassination really doesn’t surprise anyone, does it? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/50 "2017-02-22T13:11:05Z")
Walken After Midnight: > [@](#): > > It would appear, from the photos, that the most effective disguise is black rimmed spectacles. Well, of course - just ask Clark Kent. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/51 "2017-02-23T14:22:46Z")
And the latest reports say North Korea refuses to identify the body. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/52 "2017-02-24T14:06:55Z")
As I suspected ([I mentioned it in my previous post, #14](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20002810&postcount=14)), what killed Kim Jong Nam was a nerve agent. Malaysian authorities have said that “toxicology reports indicate he was attacked using VX nerve agent”. This seems to clinch it as an act from a state agent. As I understand it, the only entities that have access to that kind of stuff in forms that are reasonably safe to carry and use are governments and militaries (Aum Shinrikyo notwithstanding, of course). Relevant BBC link: [\<\\>](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39073389) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/53 "2017-02-24T20:32:54Z")
Perhaps intentionally chosen toxin, to remind the world “Nukes aren’t our only WMDs.” ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/54 "2017-03-08T07:50:36Z")
Just an update on the situation - North Korea and Malaysia have escalated the diplomatic conflict brought upon by Kim Jong Noam’s death. Before, Malaysia allowed NK citizens to enter Malaysia without a visa. Not anymore. A couple days before that, Malaysia declared _persona non grata_ the NK ambassador to Malaysia, and had him expelled from the country. NK did the same. And yesterday NK took a rather bizarre step: They forbade all Malaysian citizens present in NK from leaving the country (!!) Malaysia has retaliated in kind. This is the first time I “personally” see a country taking hostage the whole community of expats and visitors from another country. Links (from newest to oldest): > **[Malaysia, North Korea bar each other's citizens from leaving amid worsening...](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/pyongyang-bans-malaysians-from-leaving-north-korea-report)** > > KUALA LUMPUR  - Malaysia and North Korea have barred each other's citizens from leaving, effectively holding them hostage amid a worsening diplomatic spat over the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North... [http://time.com/4691634/north-korea-malaysia-kim-jong-nam/](http://time.com/4691634/north-korea-malaysia-kim-jong-nam/) > **[Archive](https://www.thesundaily.my/archive)** > > The Sun's archive > **[Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysia scraps visa-free entry for North Koreans](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/02/kim-jong-nam-malaysia-scraps-visa-free-entry-for-north-koreans)** > > Diplomatic row escalates in the wake of the killing of the political exile with a deadly nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur airport ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/55 "2017-06-12T17:28:52Z")
So, I hadn’t thought about this for a while until I recently read [Jong-nam had 120K on him and had likely recently met with someone connected to US Intelligence when he was killed.](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-11/kim-jong-nam-had-120-000-in-cash-when-killed-asahi-says) Has anyone heard more about this? If he was meeting US Intelligence, what did it have to do with his brother’s regime and was he moving against it (which would make killing him a very logical and not paranoid/crazy thing to for Jong-un). ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891/56 "2017-10-02T04:48:21Z")
Updating this thread: > [@](#): > > Two women have pleaded not guilty to murdering Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, as their trial in Malaysia got under way. > > The brazen nature of his killing, using the highly toxic VX nerve agent as he waited for a flight at Kuala Lumpur airport in February, shocked the world. Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 29, and Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, are accused of rubbing the chemical onto his face. The pair say, tricked by North Korean agents, they thought it was a TV prank… > > If found guilty, the women face the death penalty. > **[Kim Jong-nam murder: Women plead not guilty in Malaysia trial](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41464331)** > > The half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un was murdered with a toxic nerve agent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kim-jong-nam-murdered/779891.md?page=2)