The unfolding story reads like a John le Carré spy novel, but surprisingly, it’s not fiction. It’s all real.
In a shocking revelation, Kim Jong-nam was killed by the highly lethal VX nerve agent that can cause death within minutes if absorbed through the skin.
The Malaysian police finding adds to growing evidence that Pyongyang had a hand in the Feb 13 public attack on the North Korean leader’s half-brother at klia2, in a bid to get rid of a potential rival.
The bizarre assassination of Jong-nam, using the fast-acting poison, may also signal a break from typical North Korean overseas covert operations.
These include the use of multi-agency spy operations, the use of North Koreans based overseas and the use of foreign proxies — in this case, the Indonesian and Vietnamese women suspected of carrying out the assassination.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar on Friday said police’s Centre for Chemical Weapons Analysis had examined swabs from the man’s face and eyes, and found the nerve agent VX.
“We will investigate how the chemical substance was brought into Malaysia.”
He said VX was listed as a chemical weapon under the international Chemical Weapons Convention, as well as Malaysian laws.
VX, one of the fastest-acting chemical warfare agents, is much more toxic than sarin, especially when it enters through the skin, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Symptoms will appear within a few seconds of exposure to the vapour form of VX, and within a few minutes to up to 18 hours of exposure to the liquid form,” said CDC on its website.
“It is possible that any visible VX liquid contact with the skin, unless washed off immediately, would be lethal.”
The only previously confirmed death caused by VX was in a case in 1994, when a member of Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo used the nerve agent against a former colleague.
Last week, Malaysian police identified a senior official in the North Korean embassy as a person of interest in the murder of Jong-nam, another clear proof of Pyongyang’s involvement in the case.
Jong-nam’s case draws some parallels with the killing of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
On Nov 1, 2006, he was brazenly poisoned in central London. Twenty-two days later, he died.
The poison? Polonium — a rare, lethal and highly radioactive substance, believed to have been administered in a cup of tea.
The killing of Litvinenko led to a clouding of relations between London and Moscow.
Malaysia’s handling of the North Korean case has sparked a diplomatic row between previously friendly North Korea and Malaysia.
How Putrajaya handles the growing spat with one of the world’s most reclusive regimes will be a test of our diplomatic mettle.
Relations between the countries started in 1973 as part of a broader campaign by North Korea to enhance its ties with the developing world.
North Korea opened its embassy in Kuala Lumpur in 2003, along with the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang.
Since then, relations between both countries have been good, and in 2009, Malaysia became the first country whose citizens were able to travel to North Korea without a visa, and vice versa.
The North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur is apparently staffed by more than 20 diplomats, an unusually big number for a country with little bilateral trade to speak of.
On the contrary, Malaysia has only three diplomats in its mission in Pyongyang. The Malaysian ambassador has been recalled home for “consultation”.
The North Koreans here, according to diplomatic sources, are said to be using Kuala Lumpur as a listening post for the region, given the easy access in and out of the country.
Malaysia must also come down hard on the alleged North Korean breach of the Geneva Conventions.
VX is prohibited under a number of international agreements, including the 1925 Geneva Protocol and 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
The 1925 Geneva Protocol came about after the use of poisonous gas in World War 1, and was later expanded, in the 1993 convention, to include a ban on the development, production, stockpiling, retention and transfer of chemical weapons.
Malaysia has handled the Jong-nam affair firmly but with care, and in accordance with established norms and laws.
Among others, it has balked at North Korea’s request for a joint post-mortem on the man’s body, saying it must be subjected to local laws.
It has remained adamant that it will follow all procedures required when a suspicious death occurs on its soil, and that it would hand over the body only to the next of kin.
Kang Chol, the North Korean ambassador in Kuala Lumpur, has probably overstepped diplomatic boundaries by publicly insulting the Malaysian government.
His “undiplomatic” behaviour — downright rude in his verbal attacks on Malaysia’s handling of the case — has raised many eyebrows.
Diplomats may have developed a complex code of behaviours over the last few hundred years, with a carefully calibrated set of insults. They may snub each other by making subtle put-downs or delaying meetings.
But, the North Korean envoy has set a new standard, at least in Malaysia, by reading out angry statements accusing Malaysia of trying to “besmirch” Pyongyang’s reputation at the behest of Seoul.
Pyongyang, too, has upped the ante with a virulent 763-word statement published by the North’s state news agency.
Malaysia may find that its patience is running thin.
A veteran newsman, A Jalil Hamid believes that a good journalist should be
curious and sceptical at the same time