KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) A Malaysian university faced public criticism for awarding an honorary doctorate in economics to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose country is among the poorest in the world.
The privately run HELP University said a "simple ceremony" to mark the conferment was held in early October at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. The North Korean ambassador to Malaysia accepted the honor on Kim's behalf.
The event initially received little attention in this Southeast Asian nation but was reported briefly by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. It attracted criticism on social networks in Malaysia this week after the U.S.-based Foreign Policy magazine posted a blog article that expressed surprise about the decision.
The university's president, Paul Chan, said in a statement released this week that the decision was about "building a bridge to reach the people" by using "a soft constructive approach" to engage with North Korea.
"To help (North Korea) in the way we do it is a road untraveled, but we hope our first small crucial step will contribute to peace and prosperity for all," Chan wrote.