FEBRUARY 22 — Yes, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is the formal name of that country commonly referred to as North Korea. 

Of course it is neither democratic nor "belonging” to the people. It will be hard to find a more classic misnomer.

I don’t think there is any other nation on earth where her citizenry has been subjugated for so long (since 1948 when it was partitioned from South Korea) and literally cut off from the rest of the world.

Many of us would know of this dynasty — Kim ll-sung to Kim Jong-il to the present Kim Jong-un. 

They were called Supreme Leader, Dear Leader, and an assortment of a dozen titles, and recently the deceased have been elevated to Eternal Leader. 

The whole North Korean theatre is really more comical than all the entertainment acts that Hollywood can muster in its 100-year old history!

But for the "God-forsaken” folks born there, it is no laughing matter. They are in a perpetual state of malnutrition where deaths from starvation and hunger-related illnesses are commonplace. 

In fact, during the great famine 1994-98, the deaths were placed between 240,000 and 3.5 million.

Yet they saw fit to spend untold millions on their nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, 2013, and twice in 2016.

Now with the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, they have accused my country of colluding with a foreign power, namely South Korea, against them. What benefit can Malaysia derive in playing their "cloak and dagger” game? And their ambassador had the audacity to lambast us for abusing human rights. Our authorities are no saints but compared to their state sponsored shenanigans, we are like boy scouts!

Why do we need to continue our diplomatic ties with possibly the only pariah state left standing? 

Cut them off, pronto!

* Datuk Lee Yew Meng is the CEO of Genovasi Malaysia

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.