On Monday, North Korea ordered the expulsion of the Malaysian ambassador in 48 hours, labeling him persona non grata in retaliation to Kuala Lumpur's earlier move, the north's state media reported Monday.

"The Foreign Ministry of the DPRK notifies that the Malaysian ambassador to the DPRK is labeled as a persona non grata under a relevant article of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and demanded that the ambassador leave the DPRK within 48 hours from 10:00 on March 5 (Sunday)," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The expulsion came at around the same time that North Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Kan Chol left Kuala Lumpur earlier in the day as ordered on Saturday.

On February 13, a North Korean national, traveling under the name of Kim Chol, was allegedly killed by two women using a poisonous substance at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. According to media reports, it was Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of Kim Jong Un.

Two women were caught on CCTV smearing the man's face with a cloth 20 minutes before he died from a seizure. The women say they were only told they were playing a harmless prank.

Kuala Lumpur is currently seeking answers from Pyongyang over Kim Jong Nam's death.