The High Court in Shah Alam was told today that Vietnamese national Doan Thi Huong, who was charged with murdering Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was introduced by a friend to man looking for a woman to act in a film in December 2016, about two months before Kim’s death.

Doan’s lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, said this when reading out an affidavit and a statutory declaration by Nguyen Bich Thuy, who was Doan’s colleague at Seventeen Bar, Hanoi, between 2014 and May 2016.

According to Nguyen, she introduced Doan to a man of Korean and Vietnamese origin by the name of “Li” on Dec 27, 2016.

"The man said he came to Vietnam to look for a woman actor and asked when I wanted to act in his film. However, I turned down the offer as I have a family and a young child.

“I then remembered Doan who liked to act and got her telephone number from a friend before contacting her to inform about it,” she said.

Based on the statutory declaration, the court was told that Nguyen overheard a conversation between Li and Doan, where the latter was asked to dress beautifully and walk in front of someone before pouring liquid on the person’s head.

"Li told Doan that she did not need to be highly skilled, but to go to several countries, including Laos, Thailand, Korea and Malaysia to shoot the film. Li also said he would get a visa for Doan, as well as a chance for her to travel and receive monthly salary,” she said.

Investigating officer Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz agreed to all that was read out by Hisham on the 32nd day trial of Kim’s murder case.

Indonesian national Siti Aisyah, 26, and Doan, 29, were charged with four others still at large, with murdering Kim, 45, at the Departure Hall of the KLIA2 at 9am on Feb 13, 2017.

Wan Azirul Nizam, who is the ninth witness, also agreed that Doan did her first “prank” in Hanoi in December 2016 by attempting to give a surprise kiss to a 45-year-old man.

The officer also told the court that he disagreed with Hisyam that Kim’s death was a “political assassination.”

The hearing before judge Azmi Ariffin continues tomorrow.

- Bernama