Malaysia halts imports from DPRK

Malaysian officers stand in front of the DPRK embassy in Kuala Lumpur (Source: Reuter)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia recently has halted all imports from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as part of efforts to cut off funding over its nuclear and missile programmes.

According to the Malaysian Department of Statistics, the country did not purchase any goods from the DPRK in June and July. Malaysia spent 20.6 million MYR (4.89 million USD) on DPRK goods in the first five months of the year.

Last month, Malaysia also banned its citizens from travelling to the DPRK amid increasing intense in the Korean Peninsula after the DPRK launched consecutive missile tests and conducted the sixth nuclear test.

Malaysia used to be a major partner and key source of revenue for the DPRK, with imports of coal, medical devices, foods and fire extinguishers. Citizens from both countries enjoyed visa-free travel.

Tensions between Malaysia and the DPRK deteriorated after the death of a man holding DPRK passport at the Kuala Lumpur airport in February.-VNA