Female agents are regime's weapon of choice: North Korean defector

Following Jong-Nam's death, around 20 defectors have been given the highest degree of protection

North Korean female assassins, armed with good looks and poison tools, are now the weapon of choice for a ruthless regime stalking its opponents, a high-profile defector said on Thursday, after the latest apparent assassination.

Hardy male agents wielding guns or knives have been ditched in favour of their female counterparts, who strike fear into the hearts of enemies, said An Chan-Il, a North Korean defector and renowned critic of Pyongyang's one-man rule.

"We are always mindful of young women accosting us for possible revenge killings," An said.

His comments come days after the half-brother of the North's leader Kim Jong-Un died in a spy novel-style assassination that Seoul said was carried out by Pyongyang agents.

South Korean intelligence chiefs believe Kim Jong-Nam had toxins sprayed in his face as he walked through Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Two women have been arrested over the murder.

An, a former North Korean commando who defected to the South in 1979, is now a leading researcher on North Korean affairs, and a harsh critic of the Stalinist state.

He is one of eight defectors who were given the highest degree of protection by the South. Following Jong-Nam's death, that number has increased to 20, he said.

In recent years, North Korean male agents have increasingly been sidelined into intelligence gathering or building contacts with other spies, An told AFP.

"Female agents are now being trained to do the killing, using poison", he said.

"They can easily hide mini poison injectors made of plastic, either in lipsticks, cosmetics or under their clothes," he said, adding that such plastic tools go undetected by airport security.

Agent candidates are carefully screened for their intelligence, physical attributes and family background.

"Good looks are essential but this is different from any beauty contest. A girl with a curvy body is not considered ideal to become an assassin who has to engage in physical contact with targets", he said.

Before beginning their careers, the women go through many months of training, including strength work, combat skills, surveillance and weapons use, as well as language courses, he added.

Malaysian police probing Kim's killing have detained a woman with an Indonesian passport and a 28-year-old woman with a Vietnamese passport, who reappeared at the same airport two days after Kim died.