N Korean Suspect in Kim Jong Nam's Murder Son of Ex-Envoy to Vietnam

A suspect in the murder of North Korean leader’s half-brother Kim Jong Nam is a son of a former North Korean ambassador to Vietnam, South Korean media reported Wednesday, citing sources.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Yonhap news agency, the suspect is 33-years-old Ri Ji-hyon, who has lived in Vietnam for about 10 years and is the son of former North Korean Ambassador to Hanoi Ri Hong.

Ri is suspected of having lured a Vietnamese woman, Doan Thi Huong, into the plan to kill Kim Jong Nam, the agency reported, adding that she and Indonesian Siti Aisyah allegedly smeared prohibited chemical weapon VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam's face.

North Korean suspect in #KimJongNam murder is son of ex-envoy to Vietnam: Report https://t.co/DmfAB5o8pJ pic.twitter.com/9jyao2nW9h

— The Straits Times (@STcom) 22 марта 2017 г.

Both Doan and Siti claimed that they thought it was part of a prank, according to the agency.

On February 13, Kim Jong Nam, traveling by the name of Kim Chol, was killed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Malaysian investigators suspect that he was killed with a VX nerve agent. The substance is listed as a chemical weapon by the Chemical Weapons Convention and classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.