North Koreans No Longer Allowed To Enter Malaysia Without Visa Beginning 6 March

The assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 2 on 13 February has affected diplomatic relationships between Malaysia and North Korea.

As a result, North Koreans will no longer be allowed to enter Malaysia visa-free from 6 March onwards for security reasons.

In a report by Bernama, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this move was essential in light of recent developments involving both countries.

On Wednesday, Malaysia charged two female suspects, an Indonesian and a Vietnamese with murder. The police are also holding a North Korean man in custody and seeking seven other North Korean nationals, including a senior official from the North Korean embassy.

Previously, Malaysia was one of the few countries that North Koreans could enter without a visa. Vice versa, Malaysia is also among a small handful of countries allowed to enter North Korea visa-free.

According to Reuters, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad had decided to embrace the communist state since the 1970s as part of a move to reject the United States. Palm oil and rubber are among the resources which our country has been exporting to North Korea.

Heck, you can even find Malaysian-made Proton cars in the isolated country!