Woman detained after Kim Jong-Un's half brother killed

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Kim Jong Nam, right, exiled half brother of Kim Jong Un. Photos / AP

Malaysian authorities have detained a woman from Myanmar in connection with the investigation into the death of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Malaysian state news agency Bernama reports.

The woman was detained in the low-cost terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday, Bernama reported, citing a deputy inspector general of police. No other details were immediately available.

Malaysian police were not immediately available for comment.

South Korea's spy agency suspects two female North Korean agents assassinated the estranged half-brother of the North Korean leader on Tuesday, South Korean lawmakers in Seoul said earlier.

Earlier South Korea's spy agency confirmed Kim was killed by poison, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, but the organisation did not say if a needle was used to administer the fatal dose.

Lee Byung Ho, the director of the National Intelligence Service, also said that Pyongyang has been attempting to assassinate Kim for the past five years.

Meanwhile, Malaysian police official Fadzil Ahmat told Malaysian newspaper The Star the incident occurred at about 1200 AEDT on Monday at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, about an hour before the 45-year-old was due to board a flight to Macau.

"He told the receptionist at the departure hall that someone had grabbed his face from behind and splashed some liquid on him," Fadzil said.

"He asked for help and was immediately sent to the airport's clinic. At this point, he was experiencing headache and was on the verge of passing out."

He then had a seizure and died while being transported to a nearby hospital, Fadzil said. Should Pyongyang be found responsible for the murder, it would mark the most high-profile death under the Kim Jong Un regime since the execution of Jang Song Thaek in December 2013, the once-powerful uncle of North Korea's leader.

The eldest of former dictator Kim Jong Il's three sons mainly spent time in China and Southeast Asia in recent years, according to reports.

In 2001, Kim Jong Nam was arrested at Tokyo airport for allegedly having a fake Chinese passport.

Reports said the name on the passport was Pang Xiong, which translates as fat bear. He was trying to reach Disneyland Tokyo.

South Korean media have long talked about a feud between the brothers and have speculated that the North Korean leader might want to get rid of his rival, who had said he never sought power for himself.

- AAP