SEOUL, Feb 15 — South Korea’s spy agency said today that Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was poisoned by two suspected North Korean female agents, according to lawmakers briefed by the intelligence agency.

The agency also said North Korea had long prepared for the murder of Kim Jong-nam, according to lawmakers, although they did not say how the agency knows that.

Kim was assassinated on his way to the Chinese territory of Macau, where he had been living, the lawmakers said, adding that he had been given China’s protection. — Reuters  

Kim Jong-nam arrives at Beijing airport in Beijing in this photo taken by Kyodo February 11, 2007. — Reuters pic