Malaysia bans travel to North Korea

North Korea’s Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol, center, is seen entering a car inside North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday, March 6, 2017. Malaysia said it expelled North Korea’s ambassador on Saturday for refusing to apologize for his strong accusations over Malaysia’s handling of the investigation into the killing of the North Korean leader’s half brother Kim Jong Nam.(AP Photo/Daniel Chan)

Malaysia said Thursday that its citizens are banned from traveling to North Korea until further notice because of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula as a result of Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear development.

Malaysia is one of a handful of countries that still has friendly diplomatic ties with North Korea, but relations were strained earlier this year after the murder of Kim Jong Un’s half brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The travel ban will be reviewed once the situation has returned to normal, the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Malaysia’s soccer team is scheduled to face North Korea in an Asian Cup tie in Pyongyang Oct. 5, a match that been delayed twice because of security fears.

It was not immediately clear if the team would be allowed to travel to Pyongyang despite the ban. | via voanews

Popular

Gov’t remains vigilant amid external, weather shocks as PH inflation eases in July

By Brian Campued As the headline inflation continues to ease, Malacañang underscored the need to maintain vigilance against the risks posed by global challenges and...

COA witness: No proof OVP reward payouts yielded results

By Wilnard Bacelonia | Philippine News Agency The Office of the Vice President (OVP) failed to submit documents showing that the government benefited from confidential...

BIR expands list of VAT-exempt medicines to 2.2K

By Brian Campued The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has increased the number of medicines exempted from value-added tax (VAT) in support of President Ferdinand...

Gov’t sustains efforts to ensure price stability as July inflation eases to 6.2%

By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet Consistent with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ease the burden on Filipinos, agencies under the UPLIFT Committee strive to...