Nine Malaysians barred from leaving North Korea bound for home

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced that the nine Malaysians who had been barred from leaving North Korea have now been allowed to return to Malaysia.

"Alhamdulillah, they took off from Pyongyang today at 7.45pm Malaysian time, and will land in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow around 5am," said Najib in a statement here today.

He would like to thank those in the Malaysian government involved in the negotiations, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.‎

"I had a deep personal concern about this matter, and we worked intensively behind the scenes to achieve this successful outcome.

Many challenges were overcome to ensure the return of our fellow Malaysians. The safety and security of our citizens will always be my first priority," he said.

Najib added that Malaysia will now allow North Koreans to leave Malaysia.

In other development, the coroner has approved the release of the body of Kim Jong Nam following the completion of the autopsy on the deceased and receipt of a letter from his family requesting the remains be returned to North Korea.

"The government believes strongly in the principles of justice and sovereignty. Our police investigation into this serious crime on Malaysian soil will continue.

"I have instructed for all possible measures to be taken to bring those responsible for this murder to justice," he said.