Two women accused of poisoning the estranged half-brother of North Korea's ruler in a bizarre airport assassination arrived at a Malaysian court for a pretrial proceeding Friday.

They are expected to plead not guilty, their lawyers said.

Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong are accused of smearing Kim Jong-nam's face with the banned VX nerve agent at a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on Feb.13.

In this combination of March 1, 2017, file photos, Indonesian suspect Siti Aisyah, left, of Indonesia, and Doan Thi Huong, of Vietnam, are escorted out of court by police officers in Sepang, Malaysia. They were back in court Friday for pretrial hearings. (Daniel Chan/Associated Press)

The women, who face a possible death penalty if convicted, say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank for a hidden-camera TV show.

Both South Korean and Malaysian officials have said they believe that North Korean agents organized the killing of Kim, who had criticized the regime of his family and his half-brother Kim Jong-un.