Larry Windrow
(Seoul) Pyongyang announced on Friday that it was severing diplomatic ties with Malaysia after handing over North Korea to the United States, according to a report by the North Korean Foreign Ministry released by the official KCNA agency in Seoul.
On March 17, Malaysian authorities “committed an unforgivable crime […] By forcibly extraditing an innocent citizen (of North Korea) to the United States, according to KCNA.
As a result, the North Korean ministry is announcing a “complete severance of its diplomatic relations with Malaysia” because this “hostile act” is being carried out against Pyongyang “with slavery in the face of US pressure”.
The company said former North Korean nationalist Sol Myong, who was being extradited, was involved in “formal foreign trade activities in Singapore.” “Alleging that he was involved in money laundering” is a “discovery”.
On March 3, he saw the last appeal of the Malaysian Supreme Court against the extradition of this North Korean to the United States, where he will face charges of money laundering.
He has lived with his family for over a decade in a Southeast Asian country. Previously, he was arrested in 2019 following a handover request from Washington.
In court, he denied allegations by the FBI that he led a criminal group responsible for exports to North Korea, in violation of international sanctions, and that he allegedly embezzled funds through shell companies.
His lawyers say he was charged with four counts of money laundering and two counts of conspiracy while working in Singapore.
Authorities did not say which items he was able to illegally export to North Korea. Other cases in the past have revealed exports of alcohol, watches and other luxury goods.
The United Nations, the United States and other countries have imposed sanctions on North Korea in export of certain products in response to its ongoing nuclear and ballistic programs.
Laurence Malcom
