EXPELLED NORTH KOREAN DIPLOMATS LEAVE MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has defended its move to expel diplomats from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea embassy here yesterday.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the move was necessary to uphold the nation’s sovereignty and national interest.
“This action is a reminder that Malaysia will never tolerate any attempt to meddle in our internal affairs and judiciary, disrespect our governance system and constantly cause unnecessary tensions in defiance of the rulesbased international order,” he said here yesterday.
Hishammuddin said the expulsion had been carried out in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961.
“Malaysia has today (yesterday) expelled all diplomats of the embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Kuala Lumpur in keeping with the decision for all diplomatic staff and their dependents at the embassy of the DPRK to leave Malaysia within 48 hours from March 19, 2021,” he said.
Hishammuddin said the government had the right to resort to such action in response to the DPRK’s March 19 unilateral decision to sever diplomatic ties with Malaysia.
Pyongyang announced on Friday that it was severing diplomatic relations with Malaysia after a court earlier this month ruled that a North Korean businessman could be extradited to the United States to face moneylaundering charges.
Wisma Putra on the same day said it deeply regretted North Korea’s decision and that, in turn, Malaysia would close its Pyongyang embassy, whose operations were suspended in 2017.
In Putrajaya, 33 North Korean diplomatic staff and their families arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 11.45am for their flight home yesterday.
They departed on Shanghai Airlines Flight FM886 to Pudong, China. They were scheduled to fly from Beijing to their home country.
Bernama reported that North Korean embassy charge d’affaires Kim Yu-song and counsellor Song Ki-chol were seen assisting other embassy staff and their families to check in for their flight. They were assisted by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd staff.
The embassy staff and their families, all wearing face masks, kept to themselves and did not pay attention to the large group of reporters and camera crew that gathered at the airport.
Earlier, reporters gathered at the North Korean embassy in Jalan Batai, Bukit Damansara, where staff and their dependents left the premises in a chartered bus, an embassy car and several private vehicles.
Kim spoke briefly to reporters, expressing disappointment that they had to leave Malaysia.
Malaysia and North Korea established ties way back in 1973. The relations saw notable achievements in diplomatic and trade fronts up to 2017, when Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jongun, was assassinated in Malaysia.