The trial of Kim Jong Nam's murder is back underway in Malaysia. The half-brother of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un was murdered with the deadly nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur's budget air terminal last February. But as CGTN's Rian Maelzer reports, the defense team appears to be casting serious doubt on the two women who are accused of murdering him.

RIAN MAELZER
 MALAYSIA Its just over a year since Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong were arrested on suspicion of murdering Kim Jong Nam.

As the prosecution nears the end of its case, the defence teams are cross-examining the chief investigating officer. And it appears to be bolstering the defence's contention that the women were tricked into taking part in the attack. The defence has introduced Siti Aisyah's social media and messaging history, showing she repeatedly referred to playing pranks and shooting video, cited amounts paid, even shared photos of her alleged DPRK co-conspirators.

GOOI SOON SENG LAWYER FOR SITI AISYAH "The consistency can be seen in what she has said in her statement to the police, which was backed up or confirmed through those text messages which can be found on her hand phone which was seized by the police and kept by the police."

And she didn't delete these posts and messages after the attack.

GOOI SOON SENG LAWYER FOR SITI AISYAH "If you commit a crime, you will cover your tracks. Why she never used a glove, why she never disposed of her clothes, why she never deleted her messages and she would tell the world about the pranks that she was doing."

The prosecution have acknowledged they face an uphill battle to secure convictions. But what the trial is doing is shedding light on the methods and tactics used by the alleged DPRK agents to recruit the women and rehearse for the assassination of the estranged half-brother of Kim Jong Un. RM CGTN SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA.