Pyongyang, March 19 (KCNA) -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) issued the following statement on Friday:

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."

This world-startling incident is an out-and-out product of anti-DPRK conspiracy created from the heinous policy of hostility by the United States aimed at isolating and suffocating our country and the pro-U.S. subservience by the Malaysian authority.

When it comes to our citizen in question, he was engaged for years in the legitimate external trade activities in Singapore, and therefore, it is absurd fabrication and sheer plot to argue that he was involved in "illegal money laundering."

This can be illustrated by the fact that at the several trials held soon after the incident had happened, our Embassy in Malaysia and the lawyer made strong requests repeatedly for relevant "evidence of suspicion" relating to "illegal money laundering", but the judiciary authority of Malaysia did not provide any single substantial evidence to prove it.

The entire progress of the incident, which has spanned over 670 days since the arrest of our citizen in broad daylight by faking up a preposterous plot, fully reveals that the Malaysian authority is no less than illegal and lawless riff-raff, bereft of an elementary legal virtue, to say nothing of the independent spirit.

The principal officials of the Malaysian legal authorities were all called to the drinking party arranged by the U.S. Ambassador in Malaysia shortly after the incident and left with a promise that they would receive huge gratuities, and there was even a bargaining for "free delivery of armaments." This fact itself speaks more than enough to the abominable nature of the Malaysian authority which does not hesitate to throw away the fairness, morality and conscience for making a grab at a few amounts of dollars.

It is nefarious act and unpardonably heavy crime that the Malaysian authority - a government as it is nominally called, though, - offered our citizen as a sacrifice of the U.S. hostile move in defiance of the acknowledged international laws, not content with its blind acceptance of and obedience to the U.S. unjust pressure.

Unfairness would not escape from stern judgment of fairness.

This incident made by the Malaysian authority constitutes an undisguised alignment with and direct engagement in the anti-DPRK hostile maneuvers of the United States which seeks to deprive our state of its sovereignty and rights to existence and development.

The relations between the DPRK and the U.S. - the most hostile one on this planet - are technically in the state of war for over 70 years, and it turns out to be an undeniable reality.

It is not likely that the Malaysian authority does not know this stark reality.

Not content with putting our innocent citizen in the dock by blindly currying favor with the U.S. - the principal enemy of our state - the Malaysian authority delivered our citizen to the U.S. in the end, thus destroying the entire foundation of the bilateral relations based on the respect for sovereignty.

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 super-large hostile act against the DPRK in subservience to the U.S. pressure.

From this very moment, the Malaysian authority will bear full responsibility for all the consequences to be incurred between the two countries.

We warn in advance that the U.S. - the backstage manipulator and main culprit of this incident - that it will also be made to pay a due price. -0-