SEOUL – North Korea announced the termination of diplomatic ties with Malaysia over its decision to allow the extradition of a North Korean criminal suspect to the United States (US). It’s the latest development in growing animosity between Washington and Pyongyang as the North ramps up pressure on the Biden administration over a nuclear standoff.
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday the US-imposed money laundering charges against a North Korean national living in Malaysia are an “absurd fabrication and (a) sheer plot” orchestrated by “the principal enemy of our state.”
The ministry said it was announcing “total severance of the diplomatic relations with Malaysia, which committed super-large hostile act against (North Korea) in subservience to the US pressure.”
It warned that the US will “pay a due price.”
Ties between North Korea and Malaysia have been virtually frozen since the 2017 slaying of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.(AP)
