Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said that his country will reopen its embassy in Pyongyang, a move expected to end the diplomatic row over the assassination of a citizen of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Kuala Lumpur last year.

The Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Photo: VNA)

Mahathir unveiled the information in an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review published on 11 June during his trip to Japan.

Malaysia's once-close ties with the DPRK were severely downgraded after a man whose name in his passport is Kim Chol was killed at the Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017. Kim Chol was believed to be Kim Jong-nam, a half-brother of the DPRK’s leader Kim Jong-un.

Malaysia's embassy in Pyongyang has not been staffed since April last year, and the government had considered permanently closing it and moving services to its Beijing mission.

The move came just a day before the historic summit between the DPRK’s leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore.

Following their talks, Trump and Kim issued a joint statement in which the US President promised to ensure security for the DPRK while the DPRK leader re-affirmed the commitment to absolute denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.

(Source: VNA)