HONG KONG, Nov 2 (Reuters) North Korea and Malaysia will play their Asian Cup qualifying matches in Buriram, northeastern Thailand, the Asian Football Confederation has announced, after earlier attempts to stage the matches fell victim to political tensions.
Diplomatic relations between the countries have been strained following the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February.
In the wake of the killing, Malaysia barred its citizens from travelling to North Korea, which prevented the national team from playing a qualifier originally scheduled for March 28 in Pyongyang.