A week after the sudden death of Kim Jong Un's half brother, police have determined the cause: VX, a lethal nerve agent that can be absorbed through the skin, reports The Washington Post—yet another sign that Kim Jong Un himself was behind his brother's murder.
The Washington Post reports that VX "is one of the most toxic and fastest-acting chemical warfare agents," especially if entered through the skin. VX, thought to be stockpiled by Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and used by Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, is classified as a chemical weapon. The nerve agent was found after swabbing Kim Jong Nam's eyes and face post-mortem.
The Washington Post notes that South Korean authorities have accused Kim Jong Un of being behind the attack:
"South Korean authorities have accused Kim Jong Un, who came to power in North Korea in 2011, of putting out a 'standing order' to assassinate his older half brother.This would fit with Kim Jong Un's track record of getting rid of potential rivals to his power. He had his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, executed at the end of 2013 for apparently amassing his own power base."
Kim Jong Nam was attacked in a Kuala Lumpur airport terminal by two women who smeared cream on his face; he began to feel dizzy and sought the airport customer assistance counter for help. He died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
This is only one of several twists and turns in an already bizarre story; in a moment reminiscent of a Black Mirror episode, a woman arrested for the murder reportedly thought she was participating in a TV prank show when she smeared him with the cream.
(H/T The Washington Post)
