The Woman Who Was Duped Into Assassinating A High Profile North Korean Man
Content Warning
An Indonesian woman committed a crime against her will.
Siti Aisyah hailed from a rural town in Indonesia. She traveled to Malaysia to earn money as a masseuse before she was recruited by “James,” someone who introduced himself as a Japanese TV producer.
The latter made her play dozens of pranks on other actors on his online show, with her main job being to spray unsuspecting men with perfume or to kiss them on the cheek.
The then 25-year old girl was assured that the clips she was part of were real and that Japanese netizens were thoroughly enjoying her appearances. James also mentioned that her most memorable prank yet would be held in Kuala Lumpur’s airport for which she would be earning $100 USD, the biggest amount she was offered at the time. A Vietnamese girl, Đoàn Thị Hương, would be joining her as well.
On February 13, 2017, the two women prepared for what they thought would be a prank on another member of James’ TV show. They performed their tasks perfectly, with Doan covering his face with cloth laced with liquid in the middle of Terminal 2 while Siti sprayed him with “perfume” just like she was used to.
He was dead less than 20 minutes later. The “perfume” that Siti sprayed was actually the nerve agent VX, one of the deadliest chemical weapons in the world.
The man was also not an actor but was actually Kim Jong Nam, the disgraced older brother of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. He had been living abroad ever since his exile in 2003, and he was on his way to Macau when he was attacked by the two women.
In their testimonies, the women claimed that they were unknowingly groomed into committing the crime by North Korean agents. Because they were also injured in the attack, Siti’s lawyers were able to support these claims and help acquit her.
Surveillance video at the airport shows Siti and Doan handling the extremely deadly nerve agent ingredients so casually. Then after they pulled off their prank (which meant they now had VX gas on their hands) they were casually touching their hair and touching their clothes, making it obvious they have no idea what they’re doing.
— Siti’s Lawyer
All charges against her were dropped in March 2019.
The Japanese TV producer “James” was thought to be a man named Ri Ji U, a North Korean agent just like the rest of the crew involved in the assassination.
