Hishammuddin Hussein said as defence minister, he would be the first to know (if a war was imminent) but to date, his ministry had yet to receive any alarming report involving Malaysia and North Korea.

“I am not denying that to date, it is indeed tense but not to the extent of going to war,” he told reporters after the Muar Umno Division Cluster Conference and handing over of the 14th General Election (PRU14) kit here today.

He said the tension in Malaysia was not as bad as the geopolitical situation currently experienced by North Korea with two other countries, namely, the United States and South Korea.

“As such, I hope this matter will not be discussed in public because it may adversely affect the diplomatic consultations conducted by certain quarters, including Wisma Putra,” he added.

Hishammuddin said the cabinet was also informed yesterday that the priorities in solving the issue was the safety of Malaysians in North Korea, and that the murder investigation process would be more transparent.

Malaysia-North Korea ties, cordial prior to this, soured following the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the KL International Airport 2 (klia2) on Feb 13.

It has been confirmed that Jong Nam died after two foreign women smeared his face with the highly poisonous VX nerve agent.