Case 185
Kim Chol
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. Although the practical jokes seemed bizarre, the job paid well and was easy work.
Everything seemed to be going well. Then, in February 2017, the women were tasked with their biggest ever job: a prank at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur Airport that would target a certain individual and make them world famous. But little did the women know, this supposedly harmless prank would have devastating consequences that led directly to one of the most dangerous men in the world: North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Erin Munro
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
RESOURCES
ONLINE ARTICLES
North Korea will fail, says Kim Jong-il’s other son – The Journal
Kim Jong-il’s other son expects North Korean regime to fail, journalist says – CNN
Kim Jong-un’s half-brother is reported assassinated in Malaysia – New York Times
North Korean leader’s half-brother suffered a ‘very painful death’, Malaysian officials say – Washington Post
Did Kim Jong-nam’s Facebook fascination lead to his death? – The Telegraph
Kim Jong-nam had offer to lead N. Korea’s government in exile – The Korea Times
Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysian police arrest female suspect – The Guardian
Kim Jong-nam death: Woman arrested over suspected assassination in Kuala Lumpur – ABC News
Kim Jong-nam death: North Korea asks for return of body – BBC News
Jong Nam murder: Cop reveals identity of 5th N Korean suspect – FMT News
North Koreans hiding in Malaysian embassy return to Pyongyang – CNN
Lawyers for women in Kim Jong-nam case say they were scapegoated – New York Times
Kim Jong-nam: Judge says enough evidence for murder trial to go ahead – ABC News
Kim Jong-nam murder case: Dec 18 for decision on notice of motion – The Sun Daily
Malaysian court to extend Kim Jong-nam assassination trial – UPI
Kim Jong-nam death: suspect Siti Aisyah released after charge dropped – The Guardian
How I was tricked into killing Kim Jong-un’s brother – The Daily Mail
Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korean leader, ‘was a CIA informant’ – The Guardian
Kim Jong-un’s nephew Kim Han-sol goes missing ‘after meeting with CIA’ – NZ Herald
NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES
Kim Jong-un’s brother slain in Malaysia – Fremont Tribune
DOCUMENTARIES
North Korea’s Deadly Dictator – Frontline
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
Report on the use of a chemical weapon in the death of a DPRK national
OTHER
The assassination of Kim Jong-nam – WNYC Studios
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