Poison killed Kim quickly but painfully

Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of the North Korean leader, died a “very painful death” within 20 minutes of having poison smeared on his face, Malaysian authorities said Sunday.

This suggests he was exposed to a huge amount of VX, a nerve agent so lethal it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction, S. Subramaniam, Malaysia’s health minister, said.

“The absorption level was so rapid that within a few minutes, the guy had symptoms,” Subramaniam said. “From the time of the onset, he died within 15 to 20 minutes.”

The estranged older brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was attacked Feb. 13 in the busy Kuala Lumpur airport terminal by two women who wiped a substance on his face and in his eyes.