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North Korea issued 'informal apology' to Vietnam over allegedly tricking citizen into assassination

Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese citizen, is standing trial for the murder of Kim Jong-nam - AFP
Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese citizen, is standing trial for the murder of Kim Jong-nam - AFP

North Korea has issued an informal apology to Vietnam for involving one of its citizens in the assassination of Kim Jong-un’s estranged half-brother in Malaysia, South Korean press reports have claimed.

The reports, which cannot be independently verified, cite a senior South Korean government official as saying that North Korea “belatedly apologised” for the alleged recruitment of a Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, by the son of a former ambassador. 

Ms Huong, 29, and Indonesian woman Siti Aisyah, 25 are currently standing trial in Kuala Lumpur for the murder of Kim Jong-nam, after they smeared lethal VX nerve agent on his face at the international airport in February 2017. Both women, who face the death penalty if convicted, are pleading not guilty.

"The Vietnamese government and public were outraged by the involvement of a Vietnamese citizen in the assassination of Kim Jong-nam and bilateral relations chilled," the official said, in comments reported by the Chosun Ilbo. 

"Vietnam demanded an official apology from North Korea and threatened to sever diplomatic ties." 

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, who recently visited Vietnam - Credit: Pool/Getty Images
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, who recently visited Vietnam Credit: Pool/Getty Images

The comments follow a high-level visit to Vietnam last week by Ri Yong-ho, the North Korean foreign minister. 

Ms Huong and Ms Siti have claimed that they were duped into believing they were taking part in a reality TV prank show in an elaborate murder plot hatched by North Korean intelligence officials.  

Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Ms Huong's lawyer, told The Telegraph that she had been recruited in a Hanoi bar by a North Korean looking for someone interested in working on short movies and video clips. It is believed she was targeted because of her desire to become a famous TV personality. 

An ex-colleague who introduced her to the North Korean is one of the witnesses providing evidence to back her story. 

North Korea has officially denied its involvement in the audacious assassination, which was carried out almost a year before diplomatic ties began to thaw between Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington. 

It is said to have initially refused to apologise to Vietnam over the case but later caved to diplomatic pressure to do so.

In recent months, North Korea, its economy long-crippled by punishing sanctions sparked by the development of its nuclear weapons programme, has been reportedly studying the Vietnamese model of economic development. 

The main focus of Mr Ri’s visit to Vietnam was for talks with senior officials on how the country lifted itself out of poverty and global isolation to transform its economy while still maintaining tight political control over its citizens.