Woman who stood trial over death of Kim Jong Un’s half brother freed from jail

The Vietnamese woman who was tried for the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, has been released from a Malaysian prison.

Maridam Yacfar, a Vietnamese embassy translator, told reporters at the prison on Friday that Doan Thi Huong looked “happy” but could not give further details. Her lawyers says she will fly back to Vietnam on Friday.

Huong, 30, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of causing injury last month after prosecutors dropped the murder charge against her..She was sentenced to 40 months in prison from the day of her arrest and was released early for good behaviour.

Huong was the last suspect in custody after the Malaysian attorney general’s decision in March to drop the murder case against her co-defendant, Indonesian Siti Aisyah.

Huong sought to be acquitted after Aisyah was freed, but prosecutors rejected her request. Aisyah returned home to Indonesia.

The two women were charged with colluding with four North Koreans to murder Kim Jong Nam with VX nerve agent.

The women were accused of smearing the substance on his face in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February 2017, and have said they thought they were taking part in a harmless prank for a TV show.

The four North Koreans fled Malaysia the day Mr Kim was killed.

Mr Hisyam said Huong was very joyful when he met her at the prison on Thursday.

“She was smiling from ear to ear. She is looking forward to returning home to meet her family and friends,” he told The Associated Press.

After her sentencing last month, Huong told reporters at the courtroom that she wants to “sing and act” when she returns to Vietnam.

Kim Jong-nam was the eldest son in the current generation of North Korea’s ruling family.