SHAH ALAM, Malaysia: The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Unmet an unidentified American on a tourist island in Malaysia four daysbefore he was assassinated in a Cold War-style hit, a court heard Monday.
Kim Jong-Nam met the man at a hotel in Langkawi on February 9, a witnesstold the trial of two women accused of the killing that stunned the world.
Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong allegedly rubbed VXnerve agent on Kim’s face at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February13 as he waited to board a flight to Macau.
Kim died in agony shortly afterwards and the women were arrested days later.
The pair, who face death by hanging if convicted, have pleaded not guiltyand said they were tricked into believing they were part of a prank realityTV show, with their lawyers blaming North Korean agents.
South Korea also has accused North Korea of ordering the murder, anallegation it denies.
At Monday’s trial, defence lawyer Gooi Soon Seng questioned seniorinvestigating police officer Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz about an articlelast year in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, which had reported themeeting in Langkawi.
The Asahi reported that Kim had met a US intelligence agent in Langkawi.
A police computer forensics report showed that a laptop owned by Kim waslast used on February 9, the day of the Langkawi meeting, and that a USBpendrive had been connected to it that day.
Wan Azirul agreed with Gooi’s statement that Kim met a “Korean-Americanbased in Bangkok” at the hotel.
But the officer was unable to reveal the identity of the American or thename of the hotel, often replying to Gooi’s questions that he was eitherunsure or did not remember.
Kim returned to Kuala Lumpur from Langkawi on February 12, the day beforehe was killed. He had arrived in Malaysia from Macau on February 6.