The article marks the ninth anniversary of Kim Jong-nam's assassination at Kuala Lumpur airport, where he was approached by two women who smeared a lethal VX nerve agent on his face. Kim Jong-nam, using the alias Kim Chol, was the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and had lived a relatively quiet life in exile, away from the brutal regime of his sibling. His death raised significant international attention due to its implications regarding North Korea's tactics and the use of chemical weapons.

On a seemingly ordinary day at the airport, Kim appeared to blend in with fellow travelers, but within moments of being attacked, he experienced severe symptoms that would lead to his death less than 30 minutes later. The incident has been described as not only an assassination but also a calculated display of North Korea's willingness to eliminate perceived threats. The atmosphere in the airport quickly turned chaotic as medical personnel rushed to assist him, but the fast-acting nature of the VX agent left little room for intervention.

Over the years, the incident has sparked discussions around international security, human rights abuses in North Korea, and the use of nerve agents. The event has commonly been viewed as a harbinger of the lengths to which the North Korean regime will go to silence dissent or eliminate rivals. Kim Jong-nam's assassination underscores a dark chapter in North Korea's political history and highlights the complex relations between the country and the rest of the world, particularly in terms of countering threats posed by such regimes.