SEPANG, MALAYSIA - Two female suspects were charged on Wednesday with the murder of a man from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Siti Aisyah, from Indonesia, and Doan Thi Huong, who is Vietnamese, were charged in a Malaysian court with killing Kim Chol at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb 13, the indictment said.

The two face the death penalty if they are convicted.

Security was tight as the handcuffed suspects were brought to court surrounded by masked and heavily armed police and special forces for their first public appearance since they were arrested.

At least one wore a bulletproof vest on leaving the court, AFP reported.

According to the police, the suspects swabbed a liquid, thought to be the VX nerve agent, on the face of Kim Chol, prompting him to seek help from airport medical staff. He later died en route to hospital.

The suspects said they thought they were taking part in a reality TV show, a claim rejected by police.

Gooi Soon Seng, the lawyer representing Siti Aisyah, told reporters after the session that he had made an application to impose a gag order on the police and key witnesses to ensure that his client may received a fair trial.

The judge granted the application. No plea was entered during the process, the lawyer said.

Selvam Shanmugam, Doan's lawyer, said his client was "perfectly all right and calm, but definitely nervous as she was facing the death penalty". The lawyer also claimed Doan was innocent of any wrongdoing.

As the two suspects were charged with the same offense, Shanmugam said he would apply for a joint trail and might work together with the Indonesian suspect's lawyer.

According to the lawyers, the next hearing may take place on April 13 in the high court in Shah Alam.