Malaysia to cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans amid probe into Kim Jong-nam’s murder

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A North Korean flag waves at North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AP

Published: 11:52am, 2 Mar 2017Updated: 12:44pm, 2 Mar 2017

Malaysia will cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans entering the country from March 6, state news agency Bernama reported on Thursday citing the deputy prime minister.

North Koreans will be required to obtain a visa before entering Malaysia for national security reasons, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted as saying on Bernama.

The move comes two weeks after Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was killed at the Kuala Lumpur airport with a toxic nerve agent. South Korea and US say he was assassinated by agents of the North Korean regime.

North Korea has strongly denied any involvement in the killing, though Malaysian police are looking for three North Koreans including the second secretary at the North Korean Embassy. Police have said four other North Koreans who left the country on the same day as the killing provided the VX liquid and put it on the hands of two women before they wiped it on Kim’s face.

Malaysian police patrol outside the North Korean embassy. File Photo: Reuters

Doan Thi Huong, 28, of Vietnam and Siti Aisyah, 25, of Indonesia were charged with murder in a Kuala Lumpur court on Wednesday in connection with the assassination of Kim Jong-nam.

Malaysia has been demanding the repatriation of the suspects who allegedly fled back to the North after the incident.