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Malaysia
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Malaysia’s Mahathir hints at a thaw in ties with North Korea

  • Relations between the two countries unravelled spectacularly following the assassination of Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia’s capital almost three years ago
  • The half-brother of North Korean Kim Jong-un was poisoned with a nerve agent while passing through Kuala Lumpur International Airport

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The North Korean flag is seen behind razor wire on top of a wall at Pyongyang’s closed embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AP
SCMP’s Asia desk
Malaysia plans to rekindle its once close ties with Pyongyang, which unravelled spectacularly following the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother in Kuala Lumpur almost three years ago.
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“Now it is time to resume the normal relations between Malaysia and North Korea,” Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday in an interview with South Korea’s Yonhap. “We want to be friendly with all countries in the world … Even North Korea can provide some trade for us. We don’t like confrontation.”
The 94-year-old Malaysian leader arrived in the southern port city of Busan on Sunday to attend a summit between hosts South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

He has stressed Malaysia’s diplomatic pragmatism and reiterated in the interview with Yonhap his willingness to reopen Malaysia’s embassy in Pyongyang, which was partially closed after the lethal poisoning of Kim Jong-nam in February 2017.
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