Kim Chol’s pupils constricted, says doctor

SHAH ALAM: The condition of slain North Korean Kim Chol was consistent to that of a person poisoned with Organophosphate, a chemical compound found in the deadly nerve agent VX, the High Court heard.

A medical officer from Putrajaya Hospital Dr R. Kalyani, who was the 13th witness in the murder trial, said an external examination on the victim’s body showed that his death was different from cases the hospital usually encountered.

“Usually, when a patient is brought in dead, or after 30 minutes of CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation), the pupils would be fixed and dilated. But, with this victim, they were fixed but constricted.

“Most of the time, clinically, it’s due to poisoning, specifically Organophosphate,” she said during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharuddin.

The witness said in Malaysia, Organophosphate could be found in pesticides, mostly in liquid form.

She said when the substance was ingested or applied, it would cause a series of symptoms, such as myosis, which is the constriction of pupils.

She was testifying at the trial of Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, who are charged with murdering Kim Chol, along with four others at large, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) on Feb 13.

Dr Kalyani testified that when Kim Chol was brought to Putrajaya Hospital, there was no pulse. She said after examining Kim Chol’s body, the medical team initiated CPR on him for 30 minutes, but stopped the process after that as there were no signs of return of spontaneous circulation.

“When he was brought to the hospital by the paramedics team from Menara Medical Clinic (at klia2), he was with an intubator and a manual bag and was unresponsive.

“He was not breathing. I did not know the name of patient at that time. I got to know his details after seeing his passport which was brought by the paramedics team.”

Dr Kalyani, who was on duty at the Emergency Department that day, said the nurse who sent the victim to the hospital had said the victim claimed that “something” was sprayed on his face.

“The same nurse told me that the patient was walking and talking when he arrived at the clinic, and later, he started to sweat, developed seizures and collapsed at the clinic.”

She told the court that the nurse told her that the victim was administered with Adrenaline and Atropine medications (to revive and reverse the effect of poisoning) prior to his arrival at the hospital as he was experiencing hypotension.

“However, I could not confirm the real time of death as we were unsure when he really died,” she said, adding that the cause of death was unknown.

Trial continues before judge Datuk Azmi Ariffin today. Kim Chol, 45, who was claimed to be Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was killed using VX about 9am on Feb 13.