Casefile True Crime - Case 185: Kim Chol

Episode Date: August 21, 2021

When Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong were offered the chance to star on a prank show that aired on YouTube, the young women thought it was the opportunity of a lifetime. All they had to do was approach strangers on the street and rub oil on their faces... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-185-kim-chol

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. The Kuala Lumpur International Airport in the capital of Malaysia has been likened to a dizzying maze, built on top of what was once agricultural land that sprawls across 100 square kilometres and comprises multiple terminals, buildings and stories. From above, it resembles a giant letter X and was designed to reference Islamic geometry.

There are two main terminals, both of which are divided into further terminals. Inside, they're sleek and modern with high ceilings and wide glass windows. Every year, tens of millions of passengers from all over the world arrive at the airport and bustle through its halls to check into flights, drop off their baggage and shop until the time comes to board their plane. At 9am on Monday, February 13, 2017, 25-year-old City Aishah was one of many individuals standing in the busy departures hall on level 3 of the airport's second terminal. Known as KLIA2, this terminal was constructed to accommodate various low-cost carriers that

operate throughout the Asia region. But City wasn't there to board a flight. Instead, the young woman was there as part of a role she'd been given as the star of a reality prank show that was uploaded to YouTube. And she was about to embark on her most thrilling mission yet. City Aishah had relocated to Malaysia from her home country of Indonesia after the breakdown of her marriage. She and her ex had a 7-year-old son named Rio.

Now a single mother, City desperately needed to earn a living so she could provide for him. She left Rio with her parents-in-law and travelled to Kuala Lumpur, where she began working as a masseuse at the sprawling Lakeside Flamingo Hotel. The job only paid about $7 per customer. At night, she undertook sex work, regularly going to a nightclub called the Beach Club Cafe to meet clients. At the beginning of January 2017, City met a taxi driver at the Beach Club Cafe who said

he might know of an opportunity for her. He had a Japanese client named James, who was the producer of a popular show that streamed on YouTube. James needed young women to appear on his online series. With her wide eyes, pretty features and youthful face, City was exactly what he was looking for. The driver put City in touch with the James. The very next day, she headed to an upscale shopping mall to meet him in person.

James was young and good looking, but seemed a little shy. He explained that he was behind a hidden camera prank show that had a huge audience in Japan. He needed young women who could carry out practical jokes on unsuspecting bystanders. The pay was impressive. And James was offering the equivalent of $145 per job. The pranks were simple and straightforward. All City had to do was approach men at random, smear their faces with baby oil, quickly apologize and walk away before they even registered what had happened.

There wouldn't be any awkward confrontation afterwards and she'd never have to see the person again. City thought the premise sounded absurd. What was so funny about rubbing oil on a stranger's face? But James assured her Japanese audiences loved it. Though City was nervous that someone she pranked might get angry or violent, the money was too good to refuse. She agreed to give it a go.

But then and there, James took out a small bottle. He poured baby oil on City's hands before she nervously approached her first victim. James watched from a distance, filming the moment on his iPhone. City's heart raced as she walked right up to an oblivious stranger. She raised her hands, smeared the oil across his face and walked away. When she faced no repercussions, City felt a huge surge of relief. She returned to James, who praised her work. With growing confidence, City approached two more victims.

Both of these attempts went as smoothly as the first. James was impressed. He congratulated City on her efforts, telling her she'd done a great job and he'd be happy to hire her again if she was keen. She was. In just 15 minutes, she'd made 20 times the amount she was paid for each client at her regular job. Over the next few weeks, City met up with James at various shopping malls.

They established a routine. James would apply baby oil or lotion to City's hands, then she would approach men from behind and rub their faces while James filmed her. James also had City play pranks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Its busy terminal swarmed with people, providing an abundance of potential victims. The work was easy, and over time, James increased her pay. City couldn't believe her luck. She gushed to her friends about how she'd landed on her feet after struggling for so

long. Moreover, she found herself increasingly attracted to James, charmed by his handsome base and shy personality. He couldn't speak Indonesian, and she couldn't understand Japanese, but the pair communicated to one another by using Google Translate on their smartphones. James told her he might be able to take her to the United States one day. Thrilled, City began daydreaming about the promising future unfurling before her. But, before travelling to America with James, City was referred to another producer named

Mr Chang. He flew City out to Panong Pen in Cambodia to carry out more pranks. Mr Chang was stern and serious, which unsettled City. Despite this, she performed well. Mr Chang was so impressed that he gifted City a $200 bonus. In fact, on Saturday, February 12, he told her that the team was so delighted with her work that they decided to task her with a very important job next time. One that could make her world famous.

Happy and flush with cash, City celebrated her 25th birthday on Sunday, February 12 by throwing a party at a restaurant. She had already informed her friends of her good news. As they filmed a short clip of their celebrations on her phone, one of them cried out, City is going to be a celebrity. Only the following morning, City met Mr Chang at one of Kuala Lumpur airport's cafes for her next job. Upon seeing her, Mr Chang began explaining what he had in mind for that day's special

project. Up until now, every one of the pranks City carried out had followed the same formula. She had approached a man at random from behind, rubbed lotion or oil on his face, then apologised and walked away. This time, Mr Chang wanted something a little different. For starters, he needed City to target a particular man who was going to be at the airport. This individual was a high-ranking boss at his company, renowned for being rude and arrogant. The humiliating prank would be exactly what was needed to take him down at Pegal 2, but

his volatile personality meant he might lash out at City. For that reason, she needed to be particularly careful and get away as quickly as possible after she was done. City had also committed every previous prank by herself. This time, she wouldn't be working solo. Another young woman employed by the show would also be participating and would approach the target from another angle. The goal was for the two to reach him at almost exactly the same time, then flee as swiftly

as possible. City was ready. Mr Chang pulled out a small travel-sized bottle. He poured some sticky, greasy fluid on her hands. Then, he steered her towards the bustling departures lounge and pointed out the man she was to prank. He was standing at one of the many self-check-in kiosks, tapping away at the screen to obtain the boarding pass for his flight.

The man was large, balding and middle-aged with an East Asian appearance. He was dressed in a pale gray, expensive-looking blazer and light jeans. A dark, colored backpack was slung over his right shoulder. City's heart beat quickly as she nervously made her way through the crowds towards the man. He looked like a wealthy and important person. What if he called the police? But, though she was scared, City kept going, determined to complete the job.

She drew closer. When she was no more than two steps away from the man, she saw another young woman cut in front of her and cover the man's eyes with her hands. City joined her and quickly wiped her own sticky, lotion-smeared hands across the man's face. He looked irritated and upset, which did nothing to calm City's nerves. Within a few seconds, the prank was over. The other woman was striding away.

City followed suit, heading in another direction towards a bathroom so she could wash the remainder of the lotion off her hands. Relieved that the particularly tricky job was done with, City decided to grab a bite to eat, then browse some of the airport shops before heading home. Three days later, on the morning of Thursday, February 16, City was at home when she heard a knock on the door. It was the police. They immediately demanded to know where she'd been on Monday morning, asking, Where were

you on the 13th? Were you at the airport? Saying yes, City explained she'd been filming a video. The officers demanded to know why she had an asked permission to do so. Then informed her they would be taking her to the police station. Believing they were undertaking random checks on international workers, City agreed to go with them. It wasn't until they arrived at their destination that the police officers informed her she wasn't

under investigation for a visa violation. City was being charged with murder. Three days earlier, 45-year-old Kim Chul arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport shortly before 9 in the morning. He made his way to the departure hall on level 3 of its second terminal. He had a seat booked on a 10.50am flight chartered by AirAsia, a low-cost airline headquartered in Malaysia. Chul was travelling to Macau, the territory on China's south coast where he lived.

He was an avid traveller who often documented his adventures on his Facebook profile. He approached the departure board and paused for a moment to stare up at it, checking on the status of his flight. Then, Chul headed towards a cluster of tiny self-check-in kiosks, his backpack slung over his right shoulder. As he stood entering his details on the screen, he was suddenly accosted by two young women. They grabbed him and spread a strange, sticky substance across his face. By the time he realised what had happened, they disappeared.

Dozens of other people were around, using the kiosks or pushing trolleys full of luggage towards security. One seemed to have noticed the strange attack. Chul was annoyed, but his irritation quickly transformed into terror. His eyes began to burn, pain seared his face, and he suddenly felt nauseatingly dizzy. He realised that the substance the women rubbed on him must have been toxic. He raced towards an information desk to explain what had happened, gesturing to his face with his hands.

An airport employee took Chul to a cluster of police officers. Two of them hastily escorted him to the airport's medical clinic. Chul's fate began to drag and shuffle as he walked. Sweat dripped from his forehead and his complexion grew flushed. Soon, his hand-eye coordination started to fail. When he arrived at the clinic, nurses and the airport physician Dr Nick immediately noticed his hands were grasping at his head. Dr Nick asked what had happened, but by this stage Chul was unable to speak.

A check of his vitals revealed his blood pressure had soared and his pulse was racing. His eyes rolled back in his head and he furiously clenched his jaw. He also defecated himself. Dr Nick gave Chul adrenaline and one milligram of atropine. Vomit and blood had to be suctioned from his mouth before he could be intubated. Chul was transferred into an ambulance, but soon fell unconscious. His blood pressure fell to 70 over 40 and his pulse dramatically dropped, then ceased altogether.

He died en route to hospital just two hours after being touched by the two unknown women. An autopsy revealed that a number of Chul's major organs including his brain, liver, lungs and spleen bore traces of poison. A toxicology report subsequently found traces of a nerve agent called VX on Chul's face, which had most likely been absorbed via his eyes. With a name derived from the title Venomous Agent X, VX is an oily yellow-coloured liquid and the most toxic known nerve agent to date. It was developed for chemical warfare in the 1950s and later classified as a weapon of mass

destruction by the United Nations. When inhaled or absorbed via an individual's skin, VX disrupts muscle function. It ultimately causes an excruciatingly painful death by asphyxiation. As little as 10 milligrams is enough to kill someone. Chul had received such a high dose of VX that his heart and lungs were affected almost immediately after the assault. The brutal death prompted an inevitable question. Why had someone wanted to poison and murder a man who appeared to be just an ordinary

traveller? Authorities went through Chul's belongings. And his backpack were travel documents confirming his name and date of birth. Chul had been born in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on June 10, 1970. Also discovered in the backpack was $100,000 in cash and an antidote for poison, which he had apparently forgotten he had on him. But Malaysian authorities already knew that the name Kim Chul was a pseudonym. The truth was, the man who had been publicly murdered in broad daylight at Kuala Lumpur

International Airport was none other than the older half-brother of North Korea's authoritarian leader, Kim Jong-un. The isolationist communist nation of North Korea is notorious for its brutal regime and for having one of the worst human rights records in the world. Since its founding in 1948, three successive generations of the Kim family dynasty have ruled over the East Asian country, adopting the title of supreme leader. The first was Kim Il-sung. He was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il, who ruled from 1994 until his death in 2011.

Decades before he was elevated to supreme leader, Kim Jong-il became enamored with a popular North Korean film star by the name of Song Hee-rim. Although she was already married to a novelist with whom she had one daughter, Kim Jong-il forced her to divorce her husband and become his concubine. Three years later, on May 10, 1971, Song Hee-rim gave birth to Kim Jong-il's first child, a boy named Kim Jong-nam. His existence was initially kept secret, but his father pampered and doted on him, telling Jong-nam he would one day lead his country.

Eventually, Song Hee-rim fell out of favor with Kim Jong-il and he had her exiled to Russia. Jong-nam was predominantly raised by his aunt and attended boarding school in Moscow, then Switzerland. His father began a relationship with a dancer with whom he had two more sons in the early 1980s. One of these, Kim Jong-un, later usurped to Jong-nam as their father's favorite and upon their father's death in 2011, it was Kim Jong-un who became supreme leader. Malaysian and South Korean news media broke the story of Kim Jong-nam's brazen murder.

Suspicions were quick to fall upon his half-brother, North Korea's supreme leader. One South Korean politician described the killing as a, naked example of Kim Jong-un's reign of terror. North Korea angrily refuted the claim, insisting the victim was a citizen by the name of Kim Chul, who had simply died of natural causes. They accused South Korea of convincing Malaysia to help them besmirch the country's reputation. The North Korean ambassador to Malaysia protested against an autopsy being conducted on the victim's body, but was ignored.

In order to confirm the identification, Malaysian officials obtained a DNA sample from Kim Jong-nam's 22-year-old son for comparison. It was a perfect match. His familiar with North Korean politics knew that Kim Jong-nam had long been at odds with the rest of his family. As a teenager, he'd borne witness to a number of public executions. Friends said he struggled with the brutality, and he left North Korea for a time to live in China.

But the final straw came in 2001, when the now 30-year-old Jong-nam attempted to enter Japan using a false passport from the Dominican Republic. He claimed that he'd wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland. The incident enraged the Kim family, who felt he'd disgraced and humiliated them on the international stage, and two years later, he was exiled from North Korea. Friends who knew Jong-nam have said he was critical of his father's regime, in particular its extreme militarization. Though he became estranged from his family, Jong-nam continued to make money for them via

an international business network. Some of these funds were also used to support his Playboy lifestyle. He based himself in the Chinese territory of Macau, but frequently travelled to Malaysia, Singapore, Shanghai, and Europe. He took happy snaps of his adventures and shared them on a Facebook profile he operated under the pseudonym Kim Chow. The majority of his posts were public, making them visible to anyone who cared to view his page.

In 2011, his father died. Jong-nam's younger brother Kim Jong-un assumed the role of North Korea's great successor, even though he was still in his 20s. Jong-nam outwardly accepted his brother's rise to power. However, in a series of emails he sent to Japanese journalist Yoji Gourmi, he declared Kim Jong-un was too inexperienced to lead, and the country was in dire need of reforms. When Yoji Gourmi published these emails, Kim Jong-un became enraged. Kim Jong-un is an extremely paranoid leader.

After coming to power, he ordered the executions of more than 140 military officials and politicians whom he considered a threat. They were often killed violently, with machine guns or flamethrowers. Kim Jong-un had also issued a standing order to eliminate any members of his family who might pose a challenge to his rule. He interpreted Kim Jong-nam's words as a direct threat, as well as an insult. In 2011, there were reports that North Korean assassins had attempted to shoot Jong-nam in a cow, but details regarding this botched attack are vague.

The following year, South Korea imprisoned a North Korean spy who admitted to having tried to orchestrate a hit-and-run accident against Jong-nam while he was in China. These attempts on his life caused Jong-nam to fall silent. In 2012, he penned a letter to his brother begging for his life and assuring him that he had no desire to overthrow him. It read in part, Please withdraw the order to punish me and my family. We have nowhere to hide.

The only way to escape is to choose suicide. At his play, Kim Jong-un's paranoia regarding his older brother persisted. Jong-nam knew his life was in danger and shared his fears with a friend six months before his death. He hoped to relocate to Europe where he would be harder to reach and more protected. The Wall Street Journal has reported that he became a CIA source and met with an agent in Malaysia mere days before he was killed. Details of any information he might have provided are unknown.

Although aligning with the West would have made Jong-nam bill safer, it also would have made him a greater threat to his brother, who feared being overthrown by foreign adversaries. The nerve agent VX was banned by an international chemical weapons convention in 1993, but North Korea never ratified the convention. Experts believe that the regime holds a stash of the deadly nerve agent, which they can draw upon to use against their enemies. The poisoning of Kim Jong-nam led investigators to believe that his younger brother had finally succeeded in disposing of him in the most public and audacious way possible.

When Citi Aisha realized that she was being charged with murder, she was shocked and distraught. She claimed to have no idea who Kim Jong-nam was or that she'd done anything other than play a harmless prank. Although she did recall that she had gotten sick after leaving the airport, she'd caught a taxi home and had vomited in the cab. Investigators suspected this was due to traces of VX on her skin. The fact that she'd immediately washed her hands after assaulting Jong-nam had undoubtedly prevented anything worse from happening.

This had identified Citi from CCTV footage that captured the entire attack. Cameras had filmed Kim Jong-nam as he ambled through the airport and made his way to the check-in kiosks. They also caught the moment that two young women flanked him from either side, grabbed his face, and rubbed their hands over it. Both perpetrators strolled away at an easy pace, each heading to a separate bathroom. Close-up footage of the second woman revealed that she had dark shoulder-length hair with a fringe and was wearing a white long-sleeved top with the acronym LOL printed on it in

bold black letters. Police managed to identify her as a 28-year-old Vietnamese woman named Duong Thi Huyong and arrested her the day before they tracked down Citi. In late December 2016, Hwang had been living in Hanoi when she heard about an interesting sounding job. A friend of hers who ran a restaurant had met a man in his early 30s named Lee who was scouting for actresses. Lee had asked if she knew anyone and Hwang's friend immediately thought of her.

Hwang had always loved acting and a dream of becoming famous. She'd appeared on the television talent show Vietnam Idol as well as some Vietnamese prank shows and had worked as a model. She met up with Lee and he explained he was making undercover prank videos that took place at airports. All she had to do was pour liquid on strangers as a joke, then walk away. Hwang had happily accepted. Malaysian police were dubious about the women's claims that they'd been duped.

They suspected that two were trained assassins who knew exactly what they were doing and now the hunt was on for the North Korean operatives who helped them orchestrate the attack. The case's lead investigator spoke with Malaysian intelligence officials and was given the names of five North Korean nationals, the youngest of whom was a 30-year-old named Rijie Oo. Checking on Citi's phone, they found a video she had filmed outside a shopping mall some weeks earlier. She was with the James and he was talking her through a prank she had to complete. She scanned her phone across her surroundings, filming tall palm trees and skyscrapers before

focusing on James. When he realized he was being filmed, he raised a hand to the camera lens and snapped, turn off. But, she had still managed to get a clear shot of his face. As was certain, James was really Rijie Oo. The other four operatives included 34-year-old Hong Song Haek, who had posed as Mr Chang, 33-year-old Rijie Hwang, who had called himself Lee and worked with Vietnamese suspect Duong Ti Hwang and two men in their 50s.

CCTV footage from Kuala Lumpur Airport proved that these four men were present at the time of the murder. One seemed to be overseeing the operation and stood at a short distance behind Kim Jong Naam as he studied an arrivals and departures board. Another casually strolled past the airport's medical clinic, pulling a small suitcase alongside him, just as Jong Naam was ushered inside for treatment. By the time they had been identified, all of the men had successfully escaped, either by flying out of the country on the day of the murder or sheltering at the North Korean

Embassy where Malaysian authorities couldn't reach them. That left City Aishah and Duong Ti Hwang as the only suspects to face criminal charges. Both women were ordered to stand trial for murder. If convicted, they would face a mandatory death penalty. The trial began in October 2017. In August of the following year, the judge ruled that there was enough evidence for City and Hwang to answer for the crime. He was dubious of the defences argument that both women were naive pawns who believed they

were part of a reality prank show. He pointed out there had never been a camera crew and their supposed pranks never involved explaining the joke to their victims, something commonly seen on such programs. The judge also found their behavior suspicious, such as the way both immediately went to separate bathrooms to clean the remnants of VX from their hands. He ultimately described the murder as a well-planned conspiracy between the two women and the Korean men still at large. While City began sobbing upon hearing the ruling, Hwang remained stoic and straight-faced.

They would have to wait up to another six months before they would be able to take the stand in their defense. City was terrified of being found guilty, which would certainly result in her execution. As she waited in prison, her physical and mental health deteriorated. She struggled to wait and wept constantly. Her greatest fear was that she would never see her son Ryo again. Then, in March 2019, there was a shock announcement. The murder charge against her was being dropped.

The unexpected decision was made after the Indonesian government made a plea for City's release to Malaysia's Attorney General. No reason for the release was given by the Malaysian government. Crowds gathered to celebrate the decision in the rural town where City grew up. Within days, she was flown back to Indonesia. Upon seeing Ryo, City was stunned to see how tall he'd grown in the two years they'd been apart. The two embraced each other fiercely.

Now the sole individual facing charges, the Wantee Huang grew distraught. But three days after City was freed, she couldn't sleep or read. The Vietnamese government began petitioning for her release as well, arguing that it was unjust to free one of the women and not the other. On April 1, 2019, the murder charge against Huang was dropped. A deal was struck in which she pleaded guilty to voluntary causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means and was released one month later. The individuals suspected of planning Kim Jong-nam's assassination and coaxing the two

women into carrying it out have never been arrested. In September 2019, City Aishah gave an exclusive interview to the Daily Mail. Although she acknowledged that James had lied to her, she noted that in a roundabout way his promise of making her a celebrity had come true, stating, "...who would imagine that someone like me, who only went to primary school, could become world famous?" Despite Kim Jong-un's fears of being replaced by his brother, sources indicate Kim Jong-nam had no interest in ruling.

Some North Korean defectors had suggested that he lead a government in exile, but Jong-nam declined. He didn't believe that maintaining power in the Kim family was in North Korea's best interest. Several days before his death, Jong-nam had reached out to an old school friend from Switzerland, letting him know he planned to return to Geneva within the week. He was tired of doing business for North Korea, a task which had become increasingly difficult thanks to his hostile relationship with his half-brother.

Jong-nam planned to surrender his North Korean citizenship and relocate to Europe, where he felt safer and could embark on a fresh start. Kim Jong-nam is survived by his six children, including his now 25-year-old son, who was taken into protective custody by the CIA in November 2020. His whereabouts are unknown.