KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians should not view all North Koreans as a threat, says Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Pointing out that there were four North Koreans living here under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, Nazri said they should not be discriminated against.

“As far as I am concerned, we should not be profiling them just because of their leader (Kim Jong-un),” he said when asked about possible security threats from having North Koreans in Malaysia.

Nazri also said his ministry would continue to evaluate applications from North Koreans for the MM2H programme until and unless there is a directive from the Home Ministry to halt it.

“I think it is not fair for us to discriminate against them, but if there is a directive, we would certainly abide by it,” he said.

He added that two of the North Koreans in the programme have been here since 2013 while the other two have been here since 2014.

The Padang Renggas MP said that MM2H applicants would need to fulfil many requirements, which include owning a property here and having a fixed monthly income as well savings.

“They also go through rigorous security clearance before they are allowed into our country.

“Security here is tight, so there is nothing to worry about,” he said.

Ties between the two countries have gone downhill since Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of Jong-un, was killed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) on Feb 13, with North Korea criticising Malaysia’s investigation.

Malaysia has expelled North Korea’s ambassador and has recalled its own ambassador from Pyongyang.

North Korea has also barred Malaysian citizens from leaving the country, with nine Malaysians still stranded there.

Malaysia has responded with a similar ban on North Koreans here.-thestar