Malta stops issuing visas for NK workers

Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, right, shakes hands with his Maltese counterpart George Vella during their talks in Malta, Friday. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

Malta has stopped issuing work visas for North Koreans to join international efforts to cut off cash flow to Pyongyang and resolve matters related to human rights abuse of migrant workers, according to Seoul’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Saturday.

“Valletta has stopped extending visas for North Korean workers and will not issue new ones,” Yun told reporters after chairing the meeting of heads of overseas diplomatic missions in Rome.

The comment came after the top diplomatic official held talks with Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the island nation’s Foreign Minister George Vella, Friday, to discuss joint measures to encourage the communist state to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Last week, it was also reported that Malta has deported about 20 North Korean manual laborers by refusing to extend their visas when their work permits expired.

Malta is the first European Union (EU) member to deport North Korean laborers in line with international calls to protect their human rights and prevent the North from pocketing their wages and diverting the wages from contributing to nuclear weapons development.

Malta has maintained a close relationship with the North since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1971. But following the latest measure, North Korean workers will no longer be allowed to enter the island.

Yun, the first South Korean foreign minister to visit Malta, said starting with the island nation, European countries that still host North Korean workers, such as Poland, are expected to take similar actions to cut off cash flowing into the Kim Jong-un regime.

Yun noted that Vella made it clear that Valletta is taking a strong position on the North Korean workers issue.

Yun then said he conveyed to his Maltese counterpart a wish to ink an agreement that would permit working holiday arrangements and other ways to expand exchanges between South Korea and Malta.

“Although Malta is small, it is situated between Europe and Africa, and its position will grow when it assumes the rotating chairmanship of the European Union (EU) in the first half of next year,” Yun said.

Regarding the talks with his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni also held on Friday, Yun said Rome confirmed its firm position on implementing United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2270.

In March, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2270, which includes the harshest sanctions yet on the North for its fourth nuclear test in January and the launch of a long-range rocket in the following month.

The Italian official stressed Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction program not only posed security problems for South Korea and Northeast Asia, but a real threat to world peace, according to Yun.