Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin hopes North Korea can assure the safety of Harimau Malaya (national squad ) who will travel to Pyongyang for the 2019 Asian Cup qualifying match on June 8.

"The tension between Malaysia and North Korea  may be over but the country (North Korea) is facing several issues involving the outside world.

"I hope the match can take place and the national team will return safely. The  Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decision has to be followed," he told reporters after attending a  2017 SEA Games event in Kuala Lumpur today.

The AFC has announced that Malaysia would play against North Korea in an Asian Cup qualifier on June 8  in Pyongyang after the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed that there is no ban on travel to North Korea.

Malaysia was scheduled to play against North Korea in Pyongyang on March 28 but the government stopped the national team from going there for security reasons, after ties between the two countries soured following the murder of North Korean Kim Jong-nam at KLIA 2. 

- Bernama