Women accused of poisoning Kim Jong-un's half brother at airport set to appear in court

Two women accused of killing the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will testify in their defence.

Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, both in their twenties, are alleged to have smeared VX nerve agent on Kim Jong-nam’s face in an airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur in February last year.

Judge Azmi Ariffin today ordered the women to submit a defence, saying he could not rule out that the killing was a political assassination. He said enough evidence had been presented to infer that the woman and four North Koreans had engaged in a “well-planned conspiracy” to kill Kim.

Aisyah, from Indonesia, was comforted by embassy officials after the ruling. Her lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, said the defence was disappointed “but it doesn’t mean the court has found them guilty. The court wants to hear their version.”

Huong is from Vietnam. The women, who face the death penalty if convicted, say they thought they were taking part in a prank for a TV show. Their defence will begin in November.