Doan Thi Huong was happy after the Malaysian court’s verdict on April 1.
A judicial source in Malaysia revealed that in an 11-page statement after 8 hours of interrogation by investigators, Doan Thi Huong confirmed that North Korean assassins took advantage of her dream of being famous to trap her.
It all started with a meeting with `Mr.Y`, a man claiming to be a Korean cinematographer who was working on a comedy show and wanted to help her become a star.
`He showed me how to create a surprise video and said that the man about to appear was a new actor hired by this company,` Huong declared.
The `actor` in question is actually North Korean victim Kim Chol, who the US and South Korea confirm is the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
According to Huong, the cameraman also gave her a gift to encourage and make her believe.
Mr.Y also took Huong to a karaoke bar and a Korean restaurant, giving her 45 USD as a Christmas gift.
Huong grew up in rural Northern Vietnam.
Doan Thi Huong wore a white shirt with the word LOL on it and took a selfie at the hotel after getting her hair cut and makeup done to prepare for the filming on February 13, 2017.
The first meeting with Mr.Y took place at a bar in Hanoi about 7 weeks before the murder of Kim Chol.
Thuy introduced Huong to this person, saying he was a Korean.
Mr.Y asked Huong to appear in a `funny video` and discuss her salary.
This number is equivalent to 17 months of Huong’s rent, but Mr.Y did not refuse.
A man claiming to be Mr.Y’s boss then appeared, introducing him as `Halabeoji`, but Huong could not pronounce this name so she called him `Hanamori`.
`Hanamori was quite sad because we didn’t have a successful video yet. Hanamori told me to make a better video next time and the company would pay,` Huong said.
The two men led Huong to many different filming locations.
`Mr.Y said that the video scheduled to be filmed on February 13, 2017 is very important and will be posted on YouTube,` Huong said.
`I styled my wavy hair myself and did beautiful makeup,` she said.
When he appeared, Mr.Y poured `oil` on her hands.
`I put my hands on his eyes and rubbed my hands on his face,` Huong testified.
After finishing work, Huong quickly went to the bathroom and washed her hands.
Huong stayed at a hotel near the airport, posted selfies and chatted with her family.
`I didn’t receive compensation from the company for the February 13 video, so I thought we would shoot another video on February 15. I went there that day thinking Mr.Y
Doan Thi Huong came out of the restroom at Kuala Lumpur airport after rubbing `oil` on Kim Chol’s face.
Malaysian officials confirmed that Mr.Y and `Hanamori` are both North Korean assassins.
`I didn’t know that actor was dead until the police told me on February 16,` Huong said.
Doan Thi Huong was initially charged with murder and faced the death penalty along with Indonesian suspect Siti Aisyah.
Yesterday, the Malaysian prosecutor announced that Huong’s crime would be reduced from murder to `intentionally causing injury with a weapon or dangerous method` and sentenced her to 3 years and 4 months in prison.
However, Huong’s lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, said that according to prison procedures, all prisoners have their sentences reduced by 1/3, so Huong will be released on May 4.
Appearing with a radiant, smiling face after leaving court, Huong told reporters that she still wanted to pursue singing and acting.
`I’m very happy. I want to sing and act,` Huong said.