KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia on Saturday rejected claims it may have violated sanctions imposed by the United Nations on North Korea, after a Reuters report this week said North Korea-linked firms were running an arms network in the country.
“Malaysia categorically rejects any such insinuation,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The statement said Malaysia has provided required responses to queries raised by the United Nations Security Council Panel of Experts and will fully cooperate.
Reuters reported that North Korean intelligence ran an arms operation out of Malaysia called Glocom, and two companies linked to the trade were International Global System and International Golden Services.
Ties between Malaysia and North Korea have been strained following the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13.
Glocom is a front company run by North Korean intelligence agents that sells battlefield radio equipment in violation of U.N. sanctions, according to a United Nations report submitted to the Security Council seen by Reuters.
This week, Malaysian authorities said they were aware of the two North Korea-linked companies and both were being struck from the Company Registry.
(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by James Dalgleish)
