HANOI: A Vietnamese woman who stood trial for the assassination of the North Korean leader’s half-brother arrived home on Friday, bringing down the curtain on a dramatic and often bizarre two-year murder mystery.

Kim Jong Nam, the estranged relative of Kim Jong Un who was once seen as heir apparent to the North’s leadership, died in agony after having his face smeared with a banned nerve agent as he waited at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017.

The sensational killing made headlines around the world and sparked a furious diplomatic row as Seoul accused Pyongyang of an elaborate plot to murder a figure who had spent years in exile and been critical of his family’s rule.

Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam and Indonesian national Siti Aisyah were arrested after being spotted on CCTV approaching Kim, but they always denied murder.

The women instead insisted they were tricked into carrying out the hit by North Korean agents, who told them it was a reality TV show prank and fled Malaysia after the killing. The Vietnamese suspect was met by throngs of reporters at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport Friday evening, saying she was relieved to be home and happy to start her next chapter.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2019