Moving to Malaysia from North Korea
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from North Korea to Malaysia — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from North Korea to Malaysia, and you’d need to navigate life in English and Malay. You’ll also switch from driving on the right to the left. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Kuala Lumpur averages 90°F vs 60°F in P'yongyang, making it significantly warmer.
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from North Korea to Malaysia.
How's the healthcare?
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Malaysia leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
North Korea generally does better on environment, though Malaysia leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Malaysia performs significantly better than North Korea across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
North Korea performs better than Malaysia across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
percentage of adults who can read and write
Malaysia generally does better on family life, though North Korea leads in literacy rate.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2015). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | P'yongyang | Kuala Lumpur |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) | 91°/73°F (33°/23°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 91°/75°F (33°/24°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) | 90°/74°F (32°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) | 89°/74°F (32°/23°C) |
View all months
| Month | P'yongyang | Kuala Lumpur |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) | 90°/72°F (32.1°/22.5°C) |
| Feb | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) | 91°/73°F (32.9°/22.8°C) |
| Mar | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) | 92°/74°F (33.2°/23.2°C) |
| Apr | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) | 92°/75°F (33.1°/23.7°C) |
| May | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) | 91°/75°F (32.9°/23.9°C) |
| Jun | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) | 91°/74°F (32.7°/23.6°C) |
| Jul | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.2°C) |
| Aug | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.1°C) |
| Sep | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.2°C) |
| Dec | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) | 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.9°C) |
Malaysian Meteorological DepartmentVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between North Korea and Malaysia. To live, work, or study long-term in Malaysia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Malaysia's immigration authority.
North Korea passport holder visiting Malaysia
Visa Required
Malaysia passport holder visiting North Korea
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Malaysia?
Usually fine from major cities in Malaysia. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in Malaysia compared to North Korea?
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Malaysia leads in health coverage index. There are 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Malaysia, compared to 36.3 in North Korea. Malaysia scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (North Korea: 68).
What's the weather like in Malaysia compared to North Korea?
The average high temperature in Kuala Lumpur is 90°F, compared to 60°F in P'yongyang. Kuala Lumpur receives around 95.6 in of rainfall per year, while P'yongyang gets 37.0 in.
What language do they speak in Malaysia?
The official languages in Malaysia are English and Malay. In North Korea, the official language is Korean.
