Malaysia expels N. Korean ambassador

KUALA LUMPUR (PNA/Xinhua) – Malaysia has declared on Saturday night the ambassador of North Korea to the country as "persona non grata" and asked him to leave Malaysia within 48 hours, amid a row over the investigation into a North Korean man's death.

The decision was made after the ambassador, Kang Chol, failed to show up at a meeting after he was summoned by Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the same day, said the Foreign Minister Anifah Aman in a statement, adding no other senior official came to the meeting either.

Anifah said the ministry has sent a diplomatic note to the North Korean embassy on Saturday evening to inform the North Korean government that Kang should leave Malaysia within 48 hours from the scheduled time of the meeting, which should have taken place at 6 p.m., March 4, according to the statement.

The expulsion of the ambassador came after Kang and the North Korean government accused the Malaysian side several times of "colluding with hostile forces" in its investigation into the death of the North Korean man on Feb. 13 in Kuala Lumpur, and refused to trust the investigation.

Anifah said the North Korean side also failed to make an apology for the accusations Kang has leveled against Malaysia, and there is no sign of a forthcoming one.

Previously, Malaysia has recalled its ambassador in Pyongyang and said it would rescind visa-free entry for North Korean citizens.

These measures are part of the process by Malaysian government to review its relations with North Korea, according to the statement.

Malaysia also defended its impartiality in the investigation, citing the release of Ri Jong Chol, a North Korean man arrested as a suspect following the killing.

Ri was deported back to North Korea on Friday and during his transit stay in Beijing, he accused the Malaysian police of coercing him to confess his crime.