Malaysia expels North Korean ambassador amid growing diplomatic strains #okc #news #wth

무비자협정 파기에 대사 추방...말레이 북한, 단교만 남았다 Kuala-Lumpur-Pyongyang relations appears heading close to near-termination. Malaysia expelled North Korean ambassador Kang Chol. Not a surprising move since the diplomat fervently voiced his criticism of the Malaysian government's handling of the case involving the half-brother of the regime's leader. Kim Jung-soo give us the updates. On Saturday afternoon, the Malaysian government officially designated North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol, "persona non grata," giving him 48 hours to leave the country... and putting relations between the two countries in their most precarious state since they were formally established back in 1973. Kang had initially spear-headed attempts to gain custody of Kim Jong-nam's body when he died nearly three weeks ago. But as the Malaysian authorities denied those requests, Kang vocally disparaged the country's investigation and accused Kuala Lumpur of conspiring with what he called "hostile forces." In response, Malaysia demanded a formal apology from North Korea by the deadline of February 28th,... but with no such statement received, Kang has been told to leave. In connection with Kang's expulsion, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said late Saturday afternoon that any entity making such misguided criticisms of Malaysia will face strong retaliation. Anifah Aman: "Malaysia will react strongly against any insults made against it or any attempt to tarnish its reputation." Last month, a week after Kim Jong-nam was killed, Malaysia recalled its own ambassador from Pyongyang. And yet more fallout from the growing diplomatic row: starting this Monday, any North Koreans wishing to enter Malaysia will have to apply for a visa. Last week, Malaysia terminated its visa-free travel agreement with the regime which had been in place since 2009. The possibility exists that the two countries could end up severing official diplomatic ties completely -- the general consensus being that North Korea would suffer the bigger loss if that were to occur. There are currently 1,000 North Korean nationals working in Malaysia under to the visa-free deal, with many others visiting to seek business opportunities. Traffic from Malaysia to North Korea, on the other hand, has been consistently negligible. Kim Jung-soo, Arirang News. Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS): http://bit.ly/2md5Dhk Homepage: http://bit.ly/2mKfp7l Facebook: http://bit.ly/2mdkBEp Twitter: http://twitter.com/arirangworld Instagram: http://bit.ly/2mKtnpH