MR BALLEN: The World's Most Evil Little Brother
Introduction
In the mid-2010s, YouTube prank channels were at the height of their popularity. Creators would go to extreme lengths to get a reaction from unsuspecting strangers. However, in 2017, this trend took a dark and unprecedented turn in Malaysia. What two young women believed to be a harmless hidden-camera show turned out to be one of the most sophisticated and cold-blooded political assassinations of the 21st century. This is the incredible true story of how the desire for fame was weaponized by a rogue state.
A Dream Come True?
The story centers on Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, two young women from humble backgrounds working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Both harbored dreams of escaping poverty and becoming stars. Their prayers seemed to be answered when they were recruited by a charming man named "James," who claimed to be a Japanese television producer.
James hired them for a new "prank show." For weeks, he paid them to perform harmless stunts on strangers in malls and public spaces, such as splashing them with water or rubbing lotion on their hands. The women were paid well and treated like budding celebrities. They had no reason to suspect that "James" and his production team were actually undercover North Korean intelligence agents grooming them for a deadly mission.
The Final "Episode" at the Airport
On February 12, 2017, the "producers" told Siti and Doan that they were going to film their biggest prank yet at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The target was a wealthy-looking man traveling alone. The instructions were simple: one woman would distract him, while the other would come up from behind and rub "baby oil" on his face.
The women executed the stunt perfectly. They approached the man, smeared the liquid on his face, giggled, and ran away to wash their hands, expecting a payout and a high-five from the crew. But when they returned to the meeting point, James and the other producers were gone. They had already boarded flights out of the country.
A Deadly Reality Revealed
The man they had "pranked" was not an actor. He was Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Furthermore, the substance they had rubbed on his face was not baby oil—it was VX nerve agent, a chemical weapon classified by the UN as a weapon of mass destruction.
The binary poison required two components to become active, which is why two women were used. When combined on the victim's face, it became lethal. Kim Jong-nam died in agony within 20 minutes. Siti and Doan were arrested and charged with murder, facing the death penalty. It took a high-profile international trial to prove that they were merely pawns in a geopolitical game, unaware that they were holding a weapon that could have killed them as well.
Conclusion
The assassination of Kim Jong-nam remains a chilling example of espionage in the modern age. It highlights how easily innocence and ambition can be manipulated by malevolent forces. While the North Korean agents escaped justice, the world was left with a terrifying story that blurred the lines between a viral internet trend and international terrorism.
Kim Jong-nam assassination, North Korea spies, VX nerve agent, Siti Aisyah, Doan Thi Huong, Kuala Lumpur airport murder, YouTube prank gone wrong, political assassination, true crime stories.
How North Korea used a prank show to kill Kim Jong-nam
The true story of Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong
What is VX nerve agent and how does it work
Kim Jong-un brother assassination details
Real life spy stories that sound fake
The World's Most Evil Little Brother MrBallen story
Most sophisticated political assassinations in history