The Murder of Kim Jong-un's Brother | North Korea: Inside the Mind of a Dictator

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NARRATOR: February 13th 2017. Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Kim Jong-un's brother enters the terminal, unaware that two female assassins are also at the airport. Now, for the first time on television, one of the assassins tells her full extraordinary story.

MAN: Camera check.

NARRATOR: It begins with her being recruited by a man who claimed to be a TV producer. For months, Kim Jong-un's agents groomed Siti and another young woman to ambush unsuspecting members of the public and smother their faces with cosmetic creams, in what they thought were hidden camera show stunts.

NARRATOR: Siti's handler arranges a meeting at a café in the airport. There she is to receive details of the target. This time, it isn't baby oil, but a deadly nerve agent. As Kim Jong-un's brother heads to his flight, the two women make their move.

NARRATOR: Seeking help, Kim Jong-nam heads for the airport's medical facility.

MADDEN (off-screen): So at this point Kim Jong-nam is in the infirmary, and he is behind the door, and this is where this image gets very scary. There's a gentleman in all black, walking near this door, okay, and he's got a rolling suitcase. He's checking in to make sure that Kim Jong-nam is receiving medical treatment. This is one of the operatives. It's a very elaborate operation, it's very old-school.

NARRATOR: The operation plays out like a Cold War spy caper. There are lookout men. A chemist, to handle the nerve agent. A getaway driver. And a team leader, codenamed Grandpa. The young women have no idea what they've done.

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They are soon arrested by the local Malaysian police.

(speaking in native language)

NARRATOR: The trial creates shockwaves around the world.

TEIK: She had been charged for the most serious crime in the country, the crime of murder. For the offense of murder, there's only one punishment, and that is death, by hanging.

NARRATOR: The chemist of the gang is also apprehended. He is caught on camera getting his story straight with North Korean embassy officials. This video evidence helped to build a picture of a ruthless political assassination. Both women were released after spending two years in prison.

NARRATOR: Kim Jong-un's troublesome older brother was no more.

Captioned by Cotter Media Group.