Story highlights Two accused women have said they thought they were taking part in TV prank show

Both say they're not guilty in death of Kim Jong Nam, half brother of North Korean ruler

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) Two women accused of killing the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were charged with murder Wednesday.

Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong both said they were not guilty in the killing of Kim Jong Nam, who died suddenly February 13 in Malaysia.

Police said they killed Kim by smearing VX, a deadly nerve agent, on his face while he was waiting to catch a flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning Siti Aisyah, 25, from Indonesia, has been charged with the murder of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13. She was seen on closed circuit security camera approaching Kim from behind as he tried to check in for a flight to Macau. She has not entered a formal plea but told the court that she was not guilty. Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning Doan Thi Huong, 30, from Vietnam, is also alleged to have played a role in the plot to kill Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. She has not entered a formal plea but told the court on March 1 she was not guilty. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning A third suspect, Ri Jong Chol, 46, from North Korea, was arrested by Malaysian police on February 17. He was due to be deported from Malaysia to North Korea on March 3. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning Hong Song Hac, 34, is one of the North Korean suspects wanted by Malaysian police. South Korean intelligence said on Monday he worked for , is one of the North Korean suspects wanted by Malaysian police. South Korean intelligence said on Monday he worked for North Korea's Foreign Ministry Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning O Jong Gil, 55, is also wanted by Malaysian police. According to South Korea, he is a member of North Korea's State Security. They claim he worked with Hong Song Hac to recruit Siti Aisyah. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning North Korean Ri Ji Hyon, 33, is considered a suspect by Malaysian police. South Korea claims he is a member of , is considered a suspect by Malaysian police. South Korea claims he is a member of North Korea's Foreign Ministry. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning According to South Korea, Ri Jae Nam, 57, is a North Korea state security official who worked with Ri Ji Hyon to recruit Huong. He is currently wanted as a suspect by Malaysia. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning Kim Uk Il, 37, is wanted for questioning by Malaysian police. He is an employee of Air Koryo, North Korea's state airline. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning The most high-profile North Korean allegedly involved in the case is Hyon Kwang Song, 44, second secretary at North Korea's Malaysian embassy. Malaysian police have said they want to speak to him. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: Kim Jong Nam killing: Suspects and those wanted for questioning Ri Ji U, 30, is also wanted for questioning by Malaysian police. The North Korean is believed to still be in Malaysia. Hide Caption 10 of 10

If found guilty, they will face the death penalty, according to charge sheets read in court Wednesday. The women have not entered formal pleas, which will take place when the case reaches the High Court.

Wearing a red T-shirt and appearing to be on the verge of tears, Aisyah, an Indonesian citizen, was led to the dock in handcuffs.</s>MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – From the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting record highs to Como Zoo’s 10 hour Facebook Live marathon, here is a look at the top four stories from March 2, 2017.

All Eyes On The Dow Jones

Financial experts will be watching the Dow Jones to see if it hits record highs once again Thursday.

On Wednesday, it hit another major milestone, soaring above 21,000 points for the first time. The Dow also made huge gains in one day, quickly jumping more than 300 points.

New Details Released In Death Of Kim Jong Un’s Half-Brother

There are new developments in the death of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother.

North Korea said Kim Jong Nam died of a heart attack at an airport in Malaysia. But Malaysian officials believe two women are responsible for his death after they wiped a highly toxic chemical on his face.

The women are both in custody.

The accountants responsible for the best picture fiasco at the Oscars are being held accountable.

The academy has told Price Water House Coopers the pair will not be invited back for next year’s ceremony.

The accounting firm has apologized for handing out the wrong envelope.

How does 10 hours of non-stop animal videos sound?

On Thursday, Animal Planet is partnering with Como Zoo and 17 other zoos and aquariums for a Facebook Live marathon. It’s called “Inside the Zoo,” where viewers will get up-close access to all kinds of creatures.

The streaming starts at 8 a.m. To watch, click here.</s>Two women will be charged with murder over their alleged involvement in the killing of Kim Jong-nam, Malaysia's attorney general said.

Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese national, and Siti Aishah, from Indonesia, were arrested days after the North Korea leader's half brother was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur's main airport.

Police believe the women smeared VX nerve agent, a chemical on a UN list of weapons of mass destruction, on Kim Jong-nam's face.

The alleged attack was caught on airport security cameras on February 13.

US and South Korean officials believe Kim Jong-nam was the victim of an assassination orchestrated by North Korea.

He had criticised the regime of his family and his half-brother Kim Jong-un in the past and had been living in exile, under Beijing's protection, in the Chinese territory of Macau.

Malaysian police are also holding one North Korean man and have identified seven other North Koreans wanted in connection with the sensational case.

Attorney general Mohamed Apandi Ali said the North Korean in custody will not be charged yet. His remand period ends on Friday.

The attorney general said the women will be formally charged on Wednesday under section 302 of the penal code, which carries the death penalty.

"I can confirm that," he told Reuters in a text message.

Just a day before the death of Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Siti Aisyah said she was to take part in a ‘prank for a reality show’.

In a video published by China Daily, Siti Aisyah laughed and covered her face shyly when her friends commented she was going to be a ‘big star’.

She was 25 on February 11 - two days before Jong-nam was killed using the lethal chemical weapon VX in the budget airline terminal of Kuala Lumpur international airport.

“I do not believe Siti Aisyah would kill someone just for money,” her best friend said. “It is impossible. I think she has been framed.”

She said Siti Aisyah did not know Jong-nam and had no motive to kill him.

She claimed Aisyah was innocent. Aisyah has told authorities she was paid £72 to carry out the attack , but thought they were wiping Jong-nam’s face with baby oil, not VX, the most lethal chemical agent known to man.

The revelations emerged as North Korea was accused of operating a regiment-level biochemical weapons unit by old enemy South Korea.

Their military warned they had to be prepared for unconventional attacks in the wake of Jong-nam’s assassination with VX, classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction and banned around the world.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defence claimed North Korea operated production facilities for chemical and biological weapons, and has a stockpile of such materials that can be used in any attack.

Playboy Jong-nam, 46, collapsed and died after two women allegedly wiped the highly toxic substances across his face. One was vomiting after the attack because of her exposure to a substance which is renowned as one of the world’s deadliest poisons.

A hundredth of a gram is enough to kill within 30 minutes. A drop on a cloth would have been enough to take his life.

Experts claim its use put beyond any doubt that the so-called ‘playboy prince’ had been assassinated on the orders of his half brother after he criticised the secretive communist regime in 2012.

Absorbed in large doses, it is fatal after 15 minutes, according to the US Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, making it the most toxic known nerve agent in the world.

CCTV footage captured the moment Jong-nam was brazenly murdered at the packed airport.

It is still not known how the agent was applied without the woman becoming ill.

Footage begins with him arriving at the concourse in Kuala Lumpur International Airport in a light jacket and carrying a backpack.

He is shown looking at the flight departure boards with other passengers.

Kim, who was preparing to fly to Macau, goes to a ticket machine while the suspects are also shown lurking in the vicinity.

The "LOL jumper" suspect Doan Thi Huong approaches him from behind.

She reaches around appears to target his face, possibly with a poisoned cloth or spray while still standing behind him.

The two appear to wrestle for a second.

Other travellers stand nearby and don't appear to realise what has just occurred.

The attacker then casually walks off unrushed.

Kim is then shown seeking help from airport staff as he complains about the incident.

He is then shown in the airport's medical clinic.

He later died on the way to hospital.

South Korean and US officials have said Kim Jong-nam was assassinated by North Korean agents.

Malaysian police said on Sunday that four North Korean suspects in the murder fled Malaysia on the day of the killing.

Malaysian police arrested a North Korean man on Friday in connection to the murder, while the Vietnamese woman and Indonesian woman have also been arrested.

Interpol will now be asked to help in the hunt for seven North Koreans linked to the murder, including a diplomat and airline official said to be in hiding in the country’s embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

The hermit state has accused Malaysia of having “sinister” purposes - saying Jong-nam died of ‘heart stroke’.

Police also want to speak to Jong-nam’s mistress as they probe his murder, according to sources in Malaysia.

North Korean So Yong Ra, 41, is a former air stewardess with Air Koryo, North Korea’s national flag carrier.

Her name has previously been reported as So Yong La.

Channel NewsAsia, who published a photo of her, said she was from Pyongyang.

A police source said: “She is believed to have lived in Macau together with him since 2001 and eventually got married.

“She worked at Air Koryo from 1992 to 1998. She studied at the Pyongyang Music and Dance University.”

It has been previously reported Jong-nam had two wives, at least one mistress and several children, including a son and a daughter by his second wife, Lee Hye-Kyong.</s>Malaysian prosecutors will charge two women — Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam — with murder over their alleged involvement in the killing of the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, the Southeast Asian country's attorney general said on Tuesday.

Kim Jong-nam, who had criticized the regime of his family and his half-brother Kim Jong-un, was killed in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month after the two women allegedly smeared VX nerve agent, a chemical described by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction, across his face.

Attorney general Mohamed Apandi Ali said the women will be formally charged on Wednesday under section 302 of the penal code, which carries the death penalty.

"I can confirm that," he told Reuters in a text message.

South Korean officials believe the murder was carried out by North Korean agents, and Malaysia has identified eight North Koreans suspected of involvement in the killing.

While Malaysian police arrested the women in the days after the attack, they are are also holding one North Korean man and have identified seven other North Koreans wanted in connection with the sensational case.

Ali said the North Korean in custody will not be charged yet. His remand period ends on Friday.

The security camera footage, which has been released in the media, showed two women assaulting Kim in the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and the victim stumbling into a medical clinic. He died within 20 minutes of the assault.

Both women have told diplomats from their countries that they had been paid to take part in what they believed was a prank for a reality TV show.

Ri Tong Il, North Korea's former deputy ambassador to the United Nations, has repeated requests that Malaysia hand over the victim's body to the embassy and release the North Korean in custody.

He said he was in Malaysia for "the development of friendly relations between [North Korea] and the Malaysian government", media reported.</s>Malaysia on Wednesday charged two women - an Indonesian and a Vietnamese - with murdering the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader in an assassination using a super-toxic nerve agent that killed in minutes.

Siti Aishah, a 25-year-old mother of one from Jakarta, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from rural northern Vietnam, could be hanged if they are convicted for the killing of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13th.

Police brought the two women to court handcuffed. As they left, they were made to wear bullet-proof vests, reflecting Malaysian authorities’ fears that others involved in the killing could want the women silenced.

No plea was recorded after the charges were read out against them.

But, Aishah and Huong have told diplomats who visited them in custody that they were unwitting pawns in an assassination that US officials and South Korean intelligence have said was organised by North Korean agents.

Huong’s lawyer told reporters outside the court that his client had told him she was innocent.

“She denied. She denied. She said ‘I’m innocent’,” Selvam Shanmugam said.

“Of course, she’s definitely distressed because she is facing death penalty,” he added.

The next court date will be on April 13th, when prosecutors will apply for the accused to be tried jointly.

Kim Jong-nam, who had criticised the regime of his family and his half-brother Kim Jong-un, died after the two women allegedly smeared VX nerve agent, a chemical described by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction, across his face.

He had been preparing to catch a flight to Macau, the Chinese territory where he had been living under Beijing’s protection since going into exile several years ago.

According to the charges the women and four unnamed people, who are still at large, were in the airport departure, with the intention to murder the North Korean citizen.

One North Korean man, identified by police as Ri Jong Chol, is still in police custody and has not been charged yet. Police have identified seven other North Koreans wanted in connection with the case, including an embassy official in Kuala Lumpur.

Amid a bitter diplomatic row, members of Malaysia’s cabinet met with a high level North Korean delegation that arrived on Tuesday to press for the release of the citizen in custody, and for the body to be handed over.

Health minister Subramaniam Sathasivam told reporters he was not at that meeting, but a decision would eventually be made on what to do with the body as no next of kin had come forward for formal identification.

North Korea maintains the victim is a North Korean citizen, but denies he is the half brother of its leader Kim Jong-un.

South Korea’s foreign minister told a UN sponsored disarmament conference in Geneva on Tuesday that its unpredictable, nuclear-armed neighbour has thousands of tonnes of chemical weapons, including VX.

Yun Byung-se called for “collective measures” against North Korea, including possible suspension of its UN membership.

Security camera footage, which has been broadcast in the media, showed two women assaulting Kim Jong-nam at the airport around 20 minutes before he died.

Both women have told diplomats from their countries that they had believed they were carrying out a prank for a reality television show. Indonesian diplomats said Aishah told them she was paid around $90 by whoever tricked her into taking part.

Malaysian police have said the suspects had washed their hands after the assault, and were aware that the liquid smeared on their victim’s face was toxic.

Aishah’s lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng was granted a gag order to restrain police and potential witnesses from making public statements that may incriminate his client.

Appearing in court on Wednesday, Ms Huong wore a yellow shirt and blue jeans, and her wavy hair was dyed blonde.

Aishah was caught a day after Huong. Police said she suffered a bout of vomiting while in custody that they said was due to side-effects from exposure to the VX. Indonesian diplomats who visited her subsequently said she was in good health.

In court, Aishah indicated that she understood the charges against her. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, her solemn face framed by long, dark hair, Aishah nodded to Indonesian embassy officials as she left the courtroom.</s>Kim Jong-nam assassination: Malaysia to charge Indonesian and Vietnamese women over killing

Two women — an Indonesian and a Vietnamese — will be charged with murder over their alleged involvement in the killing of the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader at Kuala Lumpur's main airport, Malaysia's Attorney-General says.

Police said the women smeared VX nerve agent, a chemical on a UN list of weapons of mass destruction, on Kim Jong-nam's face in an assault recorded on airport security cameras on February 13.

US and South Korean officials believe Mr Kim was the victim of an assassination orchestrated by North Korea.

He had criticised the regime of his family and his half-brother Kim Jong-un in the past, and had been living in exile under Beijing's protection in the Chinese territory of Macau.

While Malaysian police arrested Doan Thi Huong and Siti Aishah in the days after the attack, they are also holding one North Korean man and have identified seven other North Koreans wanted in connection with the case.

Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali said the North Korean in custody would not be charged yet — his remand period ends on Friday.

The security camera footage, which has been released in the media, showed two women assaulting Mr Kim in the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and the victim stumbling into a medical clinic. He died within 20 minutes of the assault.

Both women told diplomats from their countries they had been paid to take part in what they believed was a prank for a reality TV show.

The Attorney-General said the women would be formally charged on Wednesday under section 302 of the penal code, which carries the death penalty.

"I can confirm that," he wrote in a text message.

Malaysia is considering expelling North Korea's envoy or shutting its embassy in Pyongyang as tensions escalate over the killing.

South Korean's National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes suspects wanted for the murder of Mr Kim includes several agents who worked for North Korea's foreign and security ministries, according to politicians in Seoul.

The NIS also said on Monday five senior officials of the State Security Ministry, the North Korean "bowibu" or secret police, were executed with anti-aircraft guns for "insubordination". It did not say when.

It is unclear if the execution of the security ministry officials was related to the assassination of Mr Kim.

Earlier this month, North Korea dismissed the head of the bowibu.

A high-profile defector said if this was true it would be another sign of a "crack in the elite" in Pyongyang.</s>(KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia) — Appearing calm and solemn, two young women accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader, were charged with murder Wednesday.

The women, who arrived at court under the protection of special forces wearing masks and carrying machine guns, are at the center of a bizarre killing at a busy Kuala Lumpur airport terminal. Many speculate the attack was orchestrated by North Korea, but Pyongyang denies any role.

Wearing a red T-shirt and blue jeans, Indonesian suspect Siti Aisyah nodded as her translator told her: "You are accused of murdering a North Korean man at the departure hall" of Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The other suspect, Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, wore a yellow shirt and blue jeans and said "I understand" in English as the charge was read. She looked briefly at the public gallery as she was led out and bowed her head.

The women did not enter pleas because the magistrate court where they appeared has no jurisdiction over a murder case. Lead prosecutor Iskander Ahmad told the court he will ask for the case to be transferred to a higher court and for both women to be tried together.

Kim Jong Nam was attacked as he waited for his flight home to Macau on Feb. 13. He died shortly after two women went up behind him and wiped something onto his face.

Both women have reportedly said they thought they were part of a prank TV show playing harmless tricks on unsuspecting passengers. Aisyah told authorities that she was paid the equivalent of $90.

Meanwhile, Kim's corpse is at the center of a growing diplomatic battle between North Korea and Malaysia.

Speculation is rampant that North Korea was behind the killing, particularly after Malaysia said Friday that VX had killed Kim. Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory.

On Tuesday, a high-level North Korean delegation arrived in Kuala Lumpur seeking custody of the body.

North Korea opposed Malaysian officials even conducting an autopsy, while Malaysia has resisted giving up the body without getting DNA samples and confirmation from next of kin.

The delegation includes Ri Tong Il, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, who told reporters Tuesday outside the North Korean Embassy that the diplomats were in Malaysia to retrieve the body and seek the release of a North Korean arrested in the case. He said the delegation also wants "development of the friendly relationship" between North Korea and Malaysia.

Malaysian officials have confirmed that the victim of the attack was Kim Jong Nam. North Korea, however, has identified him only as a North Korean national with a diplomatic passport bearing the name Kim Chol.

Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said Malaysia will continue to insist that the body be identified by medical examiners through DNA or other means before it can be released. He said the protocol is to release it to the next-of-kin once identification is completed.

Asked how long Malaysia can keep Kim's body at the morgue, he said "we can keep as long as we want." Police have said that the body will eventually have to be released to the North Korean embassy if there is no claim by Kim's family members.

The killing of Kim Jong Nam appeared to be a well-planned hit. Malaysian authorities say North Koreans put the deadly nerve agent VX on the hands of two women who then placed the toxin on Kim's face. Kim died on the way to a hospital, within about 20 minutes of the attack, they say.

Arrmanatha Nasir, the spokesman for Indonesia's Foreign Ministry, said Aisyah's lawyers have already begun preparing her defense. Indonesia expects Malaysia will uphold a legal process based on the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, he said.

"Is she an intelligence agent or not? Let's see the hearing process and what she says through her lawyers," Nasir said. "If there is information like that, of course we would get it either from our own intelligence services or from foreign intelligence services which have cooperation with us, and so far we have no such information."

Malaysia has also detained a 45-year-old North Korean, Ri Jong Chol, whose role in the killing is unclear. Asked if the North Korean will be charged, Apandi said it depends on the outcome of the investigation.

Authorities are seeking seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom fled the country the day of Kim's death and are believed to be back in North Korea. Others sought include the second secretary of North Korea's embassy and an employee of North Korea's state-owned airline, Air Koryo.

Malaysia hasn't directly accused North Korea of having masterminded the killing, but South Korea has. It has not provided evidence.

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.

Kim Jong Nam was estranged from Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

He had been heading to Macau, where he has a home, when he was killed.

Isolated North Korea has a long history of ordering killings of people it views as threats to its regime. Kim Jong Nam was not known to be seeking political power; he was best known for his penchants for drinking, gambling and expensive restaurants. But his position as eldest son of the family that has ruled North Korea since it was founded could have made him appear to be a danger.

Malaysia continues to seek DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's immediate family. He is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau.

AP video journalist Yves Dam Van in Kuala Lumpur and writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.a</s>Appearing calm and solemn, two young women accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader, were charged with murder Wednesday.



The women, who arrived in court under the protection of masked special forces carrying machine guns, are at the center of a bizarre killing at a busy Kuala Lumpur airport terminal. Many speculate the attack was orchestrated by North Korea, but Pyongyang denies any role.

"I understand but I am not guilty," Vietnamese suspect Doan Thi Huong told the court in English after the murder charge was read. She looked briefly at the public gallery as she was led out and bowed her head.



The other suspect, Indonesian Siti Aisyah, nodded as her translator told her: "You are accused of murdering a North Korean man at the departure hall" of Kuala Lumpur International Airport. She was dressed in a red T-shirt and jeans.



The women did not enter pleas because the magistrate court where they appeared has no jurisdiction over a murder case. Lead prosecutor Iskander Ahmad told the court he will ask for the case to be transferred to a higher court and for both women to be tried together.



Each faces a mandatory death sentence if convicted. Both women were wearing bulletproof vests as they were escorted from the court to Kajang Prison.



Kim Jong Nam was attacked as he waited for his flight home to Macau on Feb. 13. He died shortly after two women went up behind him and wiped something onto his face.



Both women have reportedly said they thought they were part of a prank TV show playing harmless tricks on unsuspecting passengers. Aisyah told authorities she was paid the equivalent of $90.



The attack was caught on grainy airport surveillance video; Huong was seen clearly in a T-shirt with "LOL" emblazoned across the front.



Gooi Soon Seng, Aisyah's lawyer, spoke to his client for the first time Wednesday.



"Her eyes were red and she says she's innocent," he said.



Also Wednesday, the court approved a gag order to prevent police and potential witnesses from making public statements about the case.



Meanwhile, Kim's corpse is at the center of a growing diplomatic battle between North Korea and Malaysia.



Speculation is rampant that North Korea was behind the killing, particularly after Malaysia said Friday that VX had killed Kim.

Experts say the oily poison was almost certainly produced in a sophisticated state weapons laboratory.



On Tuesday, a high-level North Korean delegation arrived in Kuala Lumpur seeking custody of the body.



North Korea opposed Malaysian officials even conducting an autopsy, while Malaysia has resisted giving up the body without getting DNA samples and confirmation from next of kin.



Malaysian officials have confirmed that the victim of the attack was Kim Jong Nam. North Korea, however, has identified him only as a North Korean national with a diplomatic passport bearing the name Kim Chol.



Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said Malaysia will continue to insist that the body be identified by medical examiners through DNA or other means before it can be released. He said the protocol is to release it to the next-of-kin once identification is completed.



Kim Jong Nam is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women living in Beijing and Macau.



The Pyongyang delegation is also seeking the release of a North Korean arrested in the case, 45-year-old Ri Jong Chol. Malaysia has not described his alleged role in the killing, and it was not clear if or when he could be charged.



Authorities are seeking seven other North Korean suspects, four of whom fled the country the day of Kim's death and are believed to be back in North Korea. Others sought include the second secretary of North Korea's embassy and an employee of North Korea's state-owned airline, Air Koryo.



Kim Jong Nam was estranged from Kim Jong Un. He reportedly fell out of favor with their father, the late Kim Jong Il, in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.



He had been heading to Macau, where he has a home, when he was killed.



Isolated North Korea has a long history of ordering killings of people it views as threats to its regime. Kim Jong Nam was not known to be seeking political power, but his position as eldest son of the family that has ruled North Korea since it was founded could have made him appear to be a danger.</s>Malaysia on Wednesday charged two women, an Indonesian and a Vietnamese, with murdering the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader in a bizarre airport assassination using a super-toxic nerve agent that killed in minutes.

Siti Aishah, a 25-year-old mother of one from Jakarta, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from rural northern Vietnam, could be hanged if they are convicted of the killing of Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 13.

Police brought the two women to court handcuffed. As they left, they were made to wear bullet-proof vests, reflecting Malaysian authorities’ fears that others involved in the killing could want the women silenced.

No plea was recorded after the charges were read out.

But Aishah and Huong have told diplomats who visited them in custody that they were unwitting pawns in an assassination that U.S. officials and South Korean intelligence have said was organized by North Korean agents.

Huong’s lawyer told reporters outside the court that his client had told him she was innocent.

“She denied. She denied. She said ‘I’m innocent’,” Selvam Shanmugam said.

“Of course, she’s definitely distressed because she is facing death penalty,” he added.

The next court date will be April 13, when prosecutors will apply for the accused to be tried jointly.

Kim Jong-nam, who had criticized the regime of his family and his half-brother Kim Jong-un, died after the two women allegedly smeared VX nerve agent, a chemical described by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction, across his face.

He had been preparing to catch a flight to Macau, the Chinese territory where he had been living under Beijing’s protection since going into exile several years ago.

According to the charges, the women and four unnamed people, who are still at large, were in the airport departure lounge with the intention of murdering the North Korean citizen.

One North Korean man, identified by police as Ri Jong Chol, is still in police custody and has not been charged. Police have identified seven other North Koreans wanted in connection with the case, including an embassy official in Kuala Lumpur.

Amid a bitter diplomatic row, members of Malaysia’s cabinet met with a high-level North Korean delegation that arrived on Tuesday to press for the release of the citizen in custody, and for the body to be handed over.

Health Minister Subramaniam Sathasivam told reporters he was not at that meeting, but a decision would eventually be made on what to do with the body as no next of kin had come forward for formal identification.

North Korea maintains the victim is a North Korean citizen, but denies he is the half brother of its leader, Kim Jong-un.

South Korea’s foreign minister told a U.N. sponsored disarmament conference in Geneva on Tuesday that its unpredictable, nuclear-armed neighbor had thousands of tonnes of chemical weapons, including VX.

Yun Byung-se called for “collective measures” against North Korea, including possible suspension of its U.N. membership.

North Korea’s envoy to the conference, Ju Yong Choi, rejected the suggestion as “despicable” and said the country has never produced or stockpiled chemical weapons.

The country’s official KCNA news agency later said the claim that VX was used to kill its citizen was “absurd” and lacked scientific basis, calling it an assertion made by the United States and South Korea to tarnish the North’s image.

Security camera footage, which has been broadcast in the media, showed two women assaulting Kim Jong-nam at the airport around 20 minutes before he died.

Both women have told diplomats from their countries that they had believed they were carrying out a prank for a reality television show. Indonesian diplomats said Aishah told them she was paid around $90 by whoever tricked her into taking part.

Malaysian police have said the suspects had washed their hands after the assault, and were aware that the liquid smeared on their victim’s face was toxic.

Aishah’s lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, was granted a gag order to restrain police and potential witnesses from making public statements that may incriminate his client.

Police detained Huong 48 hours after the murder in the same airport terminal where Kim Jong-nam was killed. They identified her as the dark-haired woman wearing a white shirt emblazoned with the acronym “LOL”, whose image was caught by a security camera while waiting for a taxi after the attack.

Appearing in court on Wednesday, Huong wore a yellow shirt and blue jeans, and her wavy hair was dyed blonde.

Aishah was caught a day after Huong. Police said she suffered a bout of vomiting while in custody that they said was due to side-effects from exposure to VX. Indonesian diplomats who visited her subsequently said she was in good health.

In court, Aishah indicated that she understood the charges against her. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, her solemn face framed by long, dark hair, Aishah nodded to Indonesian embassy officials as she left the courtroom.

“We hope that she gets a fair trial, afforded all her legal rights and not tried by the public,” Indonesia’s foreign ministry spokesman, Armanatha Nasir, told Reuters in Jakarta.</s>The two party girls accused of assassinating North Korean dynasty member Kim Jong-nam will swing from the end of a rope if found guilty.

Malaysian Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali told The Associated Press that the duo — Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong — will be charged with murder Wednesday.

He hastened to add that they will face a death sentence if convicted.

The two fame-seeking beauties have repeatedly told authorities they believed the murder was a prank as part of a TV show.

Both were paid a little under $100.

Kim Jong-nam was killed Feb. 13 after being wiped with a deadly poison at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The estranged brother of North Korean despot Kim Jong-un died 20 minutes later.

Malaysian press reports indicate that Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong had been working as prostitutes before the slaying.

Friends and family of the pair were stunned at the charges, calling both “good-hearted” and “naive.”

“For Aisyah, we will always provide legal assistance and advocacy to ensure her rights in accordance with applicable law,” said Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, director of citizen protection at Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry. “We have assigned lawyers who would accompany her during the process.”

Cops have also arrested a Malaysian and a North Korean.

Tubby tyrant Kim Jong-Un is believed to be behind the murder.
Two women, Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Đoàn Thị Hương, are charged with murder in relation to the death of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The women, who reportedly thought they were involved in a prank TV show, did not enter pleas.