The travel ban to North Korea issued by the Foreign Ministry is timely for the safety of Malaysians, said Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.

"Although the number of Malaysians to that country is low, the ban should be issued accordingly as it involved the issue of safety when travelling to high risk countries such as North Korea.

"The people must surely know that country has launched a nuclear test recently. Indeed the safety factor is very important and to be taken into account in planning a trip to a destination," she told Bernama today.

In line with the ban, Mas Ermieyati was confident that Malaysians were more inclined to travel to other countries that were more safe and comfortable, including around Southeast Asia, especially in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the regional organisation this year.

Last Thursday, the Foreign Ministry issued a travel advisory banning Malaysians from travelling to North Korea following rising tensions in the Korean peninsula and other developments related to the missile test.

The travel ban will be reviewed as soon as the situation normalised.

-- BERNAMA