North Korea banned Malaysians from leaving the country Tuesday, triggering a tit-for-tat response from Kuala Lumpur which said its citizens were effectively being held "hostage" in the row over the liquidation of Kim Jong-nam.Pyongyang’s extraordinary move came as it faced growing international condemnation for a volley of missiles it fired into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), defying stringent global sanctions aimed at halting its weapons programme.
Tuesday’s developments marked a dramatic heightening of tensions with Malaysia three weeks after the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim
PudgeJong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
was murdered at an airport with the banned VX nerve agent.
The North decided to "temporarily ban the exit of Malaysian citizens in the DPRK", the official news agency KCNA said, citing the foreign ministry and using the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The prohibition would remain in place "until the safety of the diplomats and citizens of the DPRK in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia".
The Malaysian foreign ministry said 11 of its citizens were currently in North Korea, including three embassy staff, six family members and two others who work for the UN’s World Food Programme.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak condemned the bar, and said he was ordering a similar ban on the movement of "all North Korean citizens in Malaysia". Analysts said they could number around 1,000.
"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Najib said.
"As a peace-loving nation, Malaysia is committed to maintaining friendly relations with all countries.
"However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well...
protecting our citizens is my first priority, and we will not hesitate to take all measures necessary when they are threatened."
Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for years, but ties have rapidly degenerated in the weeks since two women wiped a deadly chemical on Kim Jong-nam’s face.
An autopsy revealed that to be VX nerve agent, a substance so dangerous it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by the UN.
The two women - one Indonesian and the other Vietnamese - were charged last week with the murder. Both women have denied any wrongdoing. The police are still hunting for seven North Korean men allegedly linked to the homicide, which Seoul blames on Pyongyang.
Of the seven, three men, including Hyon Kwang-song, second secretary at the North Korean embassy, have taken refuge in the embassy building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said.
"We will wait, if it takes five years, we will wait outside. Definitely somebody will come out," Khalid said.
The North has never confirmed the dead man’s identity, but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to smear it.
North Korean ambassador Kang Chol slammed what he called a "pre-targeted investigation by the Malaysian police" on Monday, moments before leaving the country after being expelled.