말레이, 김정남 살해 베트남 여성에 상해죄 적용…5월초 석방

A Vietnamese woman accused of participating in the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam... will soon be released... with the charge of murder downgraded to assault.
Kim Mok-yeon has the latest.
Prosecutors in Malaysia have decided to drop the charge of murder against Vietnamese national Doan Thi Huong , who had been detained for the past two years for taking part in the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam.
Media reports said Monday that the charge was downgraded from murder to assault, and that Huong was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months behind bars, including time already served.
The judge reportedly said the decision was aimed at finding a balance between the interests of the public and the interests of the accused.
Huong's lawyer said that under Malaysian law, she could be freed as early as the first week of May, due to a one-third term reduction for good behavior.
"Now as far as Doan is concerned, we are happy because ultimately, she can go home within a month and AG has reconsidered our representation prepared to offer an alternative charge and we are happy with that."
The sentence came three weeks after Huong's Indonesian co-defendant Siti Aisyah ( ) was set free reportedly with help from the Indonesian government.
On February 13th, 2017, the two women smeared a lethal nerve agent on Kim's face, which eventually killed him on his way to the hospital.
The two have been pleading their innocence, claiming that they were tricked by four men into believing that they were taking part in a reality TV prank.
Those four men, identified as North Koreans... fled Malaysia on the day of the incident. Interpol issued a red alert but they are still at large.
It's understood that the North had ordered the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, who was seen as a threat to Kim Jong-un's power,... but Pyeongyang has denied it.
Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.