Malaysia, DPRK cut ties over extradition

The embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in Kuala Lumpur is preparing to shut down as the deadline given by the Malaysian government approaches.

A reporter from the China Media Group saw the nameplate of the embassy and the DPRK national emblem were removed on Sunday morning. The area had been cordoned by the Malaysian authorities.

The Malaysian foreign ministry on Friday said it would close its embassy in Pyongyang and order all diplomatic staff at the DPRK embassy in Kuala Lumpur to leave the country within 48 hours, in response to the DPRK’s announcement of cutting diplomatic ties.

Earlier on Friday, the DPRK announced severing diplomatic relations with Malaysia after Malaysia’s top court ruled in favor of extraditing a DPRK national to the US to face money laundering charges, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The report said that the DPRK businessman was engaged in “legitimate external trade activities” and warned that Malaysia would “bear full responsibility for all the consequences to be incurred between the two countries.”

The Malaysian foreign ministry said it “deeply regrets” the decision and stressed the extradition was conducted in accordance with the principles of justice, rule of law and independence of the judiciary.

The DPRK citizen was detained in May 2019 following allegations of conspiracy to launder money as well as violating United Nations sanctions.