Two Malaysians working for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) who were stranded in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) amid a diplomatic fallout had left the country, a WFP spokeperson said Thursday.
"WFP confirms that two WFP staff of Malaysian nationality have left the DPRK and arrived in Beijing today," a WFP spokeperson confirmed to Xinhua in a written reply.
"The staff members are international civil servants and not representatives of their national government. They work on WFP's programs in the DPRK," the spokesperson said.
Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican said earlier there were 11 Malaysian citizens stranded in the DPRK.
With the two leaving the DPRK, a total of nine Malaysian citizens are still left behind.
In a statement posted on his facebook page, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said all remaining Malaysians in the DPRK are safe after he had a phone call with the counsellor at the embassy in the DPRK.
"I have given him my assurance that the government will do everything we can to ensure that they return home safely soon. The whole of Malaysia is praying for them," Najib said, adding he was assured by the DPRK government of their safety in the DPRK though they are not allow to leave.
"The government will continue to work on reaching the best solution on this issue. Let us all pray for the best," he said.
In tit-for-tat moves this week, Malaysia and the DPRK have expelled the ambassador of the other's side and banned each other's citizens from leaving, as investigations into the death of a DPRK man in Malaysia strained bilateral relations.
