North Korea severs diplomatic ties with Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur deplores decision

North Korea severs diplomatic ties with Malaysia (Twitter)

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia denounces the decision as unfriendly and unconstructive, disrespecting the spirit of mutual respect and good neighbourly relations among members of the international community, said the ministry in a statement on Friday.

Malaysia is now compelled by the decision of the North Korean government to close the Malaysian Embassy in Pyongyang, which operation had already been suspended since 2017.

Wisma Putra also said the Malaysian government will issue an order for all the diplomatic staff and their dependents at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to leave Malaysia within 48 hours from today.

According to media reports, Pyongyang announced on Friday that it would sever diplomatic relations with Malaysia after a Malaysian court early this month ruled that a North Korean businessman could be extradited to the United States to face money laundering charges.

North Korea’s unilateral decision is clearly unwarranted, disproportionate and certainly disruptive towards the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity of this region, the statement said.

Wisma Putra said Malaysia reserves its every right to respond to the decision by North Korea in order to protect its sovereignty and to safeguard its national interest.

Malaysia believes that our stance on this unfortunate development will be fully appreciated and understood by our friends and partners who commit to the principles of justice, rule of law, as well as to peaceful coexistence among nations, it said.

On North Korean businessman Mun Chol Myong, Wisma Putra explained that as a country which upholds the principles of justice, rule of law and independence of judiciary, Malaysia has ensured that his extradition was conducted in accordance with those principles.

On the same premise, it said Malaysia had to put aside a series of the North Korea’s demarches for the Malaysian executive to intervene in its judiciary and legal system.

The extradition was only carried out after the due legal process had been exhausted, the statement said.

Wisma Putra stressed that Mun’s rights while in custody in Malaysia were also guaranteed and fulfilled, including his access to his own defence counsel, as well as to consular assistance and visits by his family.

Mun was detained by the Malaysian authority on May 14, 2019, pursuant to the provisional arrest warrant issued under Section 13 (1) (b) of the Extradition Act 1992 following allegations of conspiracy to launder money and money laundering, as well as violating United Nations sanctions, said the statement.

Such acts are also offences under the laws of Malaysia. He appeared before the Sessions Court of Kuala Lumpur on Dec 13, 2019 where the court allowed committal against him,”; it added.

Mun’s application for the writ of habeas corpus at the High Court of Kuala Lumpur on Dec 29, 2019 and his appeal at the Federal Court on Oct 8, 2020 were dismissed, as the courts found that his application and appeal were unjustified and failed to meet the requirements under the aforementioned Extradition Act, said Wisma Putra.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein in his Twitter account on Friday said all Malaysia’s diplomatic staff and their dependents at the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang had returned home in 2017, after the embassy’s operations were suspended.

He was replying to a tweet that inquired on the safety of Malaysia’s diplomatic staff in Pyongyang.

BERNAMA

BERNAMA’s timeline of important events in Kuala Lumpur-Pyongyang relations:

1974 – North Korea opens its embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

1995 – Malaysia hosted talks between North Korea and the United States over the former’s nuclear programme.

2004 – Malaysia opens its embassy in Pyongyang.

2009 – Beginning of greater engagement between Malaysian and North Korea. Malaysians allowed to travel to North Korea without visa, rise in North Korean imports from Malaysia. North Koreans arrive in Malaysia for work, Air Koryo started flights to Kuala Lumpur.

2017 – Feb 13, Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un’s half brother was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

2017 - March 4, North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol was declared a persona non grata and expelled within 48 hours for disparaging the murder investigation two days later, visa free entry for North Koreans revoked.

2017 – March 7, North Korea stopped all nine Malaysians in the country from leaving. Malaysia reacted by forbidding North Koreans from entering or leaving the country.

2017 March 30: All stranded Malaysians and North Koreans allowed to return to their respective countries following negotiations and the return of Jong-nam’s body.

2018 – June 12: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was quoted as saying that Malaysia would reopen its embassy in Pyongyang and end the diplomatic row. However, there was no& change in the status quo.

2021 – March 9: Kuala Lumpur High Court rejects North Korean businessman Mun Chol Myong’s appeal from being extradited to the United States on money laundering charges.

2021 – March 19: Pyongyang announces it will end diplomatic ties with Kuala Lumpur due to the court’s decision.

2021 – March 19: Malaysia responded, saying it deeply regrets North Korea’s decision and denounced it as unfriendly and unconstructive, disrespecting the spirit of mutual respect and good neighbourly relations among members of the international community. Malaysia said it will also issue an order for all the diplomatic staff and their dependents at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to leave the country within 48 hours.