As demonstrated by the Feb. 13 openly public murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's ruler, Kim Jong-un, the regime in Pyongyang continues with its tradition of ordering killings of those it views as a threat to its power.  This hit job is part and parcel of the regime's sponsoring various crimes beyond its own shores over the years for purposes of raising hard currency and protecting its power. A few examples of this nefarious behavior are kidnappings of Japanese nationals during the 1970s and 1980s, the 1983 Rangoon bombing and attempted assassination of South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan, the production and sale of illegal drugs and imitation goods, human trafficking, arms proliferation, and counterfeiting currency. In light of this, Malaysia's March 2 announcement of the scrapping of its visa-free entry for North Korean nationals is a wise policy reversal and a step in the right direction toward public safety and security in the...(Read Full Post)