Has hermit state North Korea become even more isolated after assassination in Malaysia?
Malaysia has previously provided a channel between Pyongyang officials and the wider world but that arrangement seems likely to end
Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur have enjoyed relatively warm economic ties, with some bilateral trade and citizens from both countries entitled to travel to the other under a unique reciprocal visa-free deal.
The diplomatic relationship between North Korea and Malaysia is strained
Malaysia has also provided a channel between Pyongyang officials and the wider world, with Kuala Lumpur in recent years serving as a discreet meeting place for talks between the regime and the US.
Singapore cancelled its visa-free arrangement with Pyongyang last year in protest over the regime’s fourth nuclear test. Andray Abrahamian of Choson Exchange, a charity that provides economic policy training to North Koreans, believes Malaysia could now make a similar move.
“It wouldn’t surprise me. The arrangement is already absolutely unique. North Koreans don’t need a visa to work in Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos. But the Malaysian side is the unusual thing,” he said.