North Korea severed diplomatic ties with Malaysia on Friday to protest a court ruling that allowed one of its citizens accused of money laundering to be extradited to the United States.

“On March 17, the Malaysian authority committed an unpardonable crime, in the end, of forcibly delivering the innocent citizen of the DPRK to the United States by having charged him with ‘criminal’,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea said in a statement.

The Ministry claimed that the North Korean in question was engaged for years in the legitimate external trade activities in Singapore, and therefore, it was an absurd fabrication and sheer plot to argue that he was involved in “illegal money laundering.”

“With regard to the grave situation that has prevailed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK hereby announces total severance of the diplomatic relations with Malaysia which committed a super-large hostile act against the DPRK in subservience to the U.S. pressure,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry added that the United States-- the backstage manipulator and main culprit of this incident-- would also be made to pay a due price.

Mun Chol Myong had lived in Malaysia with his family for a decade when he was arrested in May 2019 after U.S. authorities requested.

The United States claims he laundered funds through front companies and facilitated shipments of prohibited luxury goods from Singapore on behalf of the North Korean regime, violating both U.N. and U.S. sanctions.

On March 3, Malaysia’s top court rejected Mun’s assertion that the U.S. charge was politically motivated, ruling that he could be extradited. (ILKHA)