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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has denounced North Korea’s decision to sever diplomatic relations and, in immediate response, ordered all diplomatic personnel and their dependents at the Pyongyang embassy in Kuala Lumpur to leave the country this weekend.
In a strongly worded statement yesterday, Wisma Putra described North Korea’s unilateral decision to sever ties as “hostile and unconstructive” and as going against the “spirit of mutual respect and good neighborly relations among members of the international community. “.
“The Malaysian government is now forced by the decision of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to close the embassy in Pyongyang, the operation of which has been suspended since 2017.
“At the same time, the government will issue an order for all diplomatic personnel and their dependents at the embassy in Malaysia to leave Malaysia within 48 hours from today,” the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
There are understood to be 33 North Koreans, including relatives of diplomatic employees, at the embassy.
Wisma Putra said Malaysia had the right to respond to North Korea’s decision to protect its sovereignty and safeguard its national interest, and believes that its position on the matter will be understood by “friends and partners who are committed to the principles of justice and state. of law. , as well as to the peaceful coexistence between nations ”.
Pyongyang announced yesterday that it was severing diplomatic ties with Malaysia after the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that a North Korean man, Mun Chol-myong, could be extradited to the United States to face money laundering charges.
Worrying issue: A screenshot from Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s Facebook post expressing regret over North Korea’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia.
On the extradition, Wisma Putra said that the government had ensured that it was carried out in accordance with the principles of justice, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.
“Under the same premise, the Government of Malaysia had to put aside a series of efforts by the DPRK for the Malaysian Executive to intervene in our judicial and legal system. The extradition was carried out only after the due process of law had been exhausted.
“Mun Chol-myong’s rights while in custody in Malaysia were also guaranteed and upheld, including his access to his own defense attorney, as well as consular assistance and visits from his family,” the statement said.
According to Wisma Putra, Mun was detained on May 14, 2019, in accordance with the provisional arrest warrant issued under Section 13 (1) (b) of the Extradition Act of 1992 following allegations of conspiracy to launder money. and money laundering, as well as for violating United Nations Sanctions, noting that such acts are also crimes under Malaysian law.
He appeared before the Kuala Lumpur Session Court on December 13, 2019, leading to a conviction against him.
His application for a writ of habeas corpus in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on December 29, 2019, and his appeal in the Federal Court on October 8, 2020, were dismissed, as the courts determined that his application and appeal were not justified and not fulfilled. they meet the requirements of the Extradition Law, added Wisma Putra.
Mun was extradited on March 17.
Wisma Putra said Malaysia had considered North Korea a close partner since diplomatic relations between the two nations were first established in 1973.
Malaysia was one of the first to do so and continued to support the DPRK during its difficult times. Malaysia had been persistent in seeking concrete efforts to strengthen our relations with the DPRK even after the deplorable assassination of Kim Jong-nam in 2017.
“In this regard, the DPRK’s unilateral decision is clearly unjustified, disproportionate and certainly disruptive to the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in our region,” he added.
This is not the first time that ties between the two countries have soured in recent years, with a diplomatic dispute sparking after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s estranged brother, Jong-nam, was assassinated in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang in February 2017..
The incident occurred when two foreign women allegedly smeared his face with a VX nerve agent that is listed as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
After that, Malaysia suspended operations at its embassy in Pyongyang after ensuring the safe return of nine citizens detained within its embassy compound, in exchange for the release of Jong-nam’s body and the release of three of its diplomats. based in Kuala Lumpur.
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