Malaysians' emotional return from Pyongyang in Kim body swap

Kim Jong-Nam was killed with the lethal nerve agent VX on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur airport, triggering a major clash between Malaysia and North Korea, which saw them expel each other's ambassadors and bar citizens from leaving.

But a deal announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and confirmed by North Korean state media on Thursday said the two countries had lifted their respective travel bans, and Kuala Lumpur would send Kim's body to North Korea.

The Malaysians -- three embassy staff and six family members, including a baby and three other children -- landed in Kuala Lumpur before sunrise where they were met on the tarmac by Foreign Minister Anifah Aman.

There were emotional scenes as they were embraced by tearful relatives who had also gathered to meet them.

Mohamad Nor Azrin, counsellor of the Malaysian embassy in Pyongyang, said that while they had not been threatened and were free to move around they were not allowed to leave.

"We were very concerned because we had done no wrong. But we had to keep our spirits up," he told reporters.

Najib on Thursday said his government "worked intensively behind the scenes" to bring its citizens home and vowed "to bring those responsible for this murder to justice".

Feeling nervous

The Malaysians were flown out on a government-owned business jet piloted by a senior Royal Malaysian Air Force officer.

Lieutenant Colonel Hasrizan Kamis said the Bombardier jet left for Pyongyang from a Malaysian airbase on Thursday, apparently after talks reached a breakthrough.

The jet turned around in the evening with the nine on board, making a two-hour refuelling stop in the southeastern Chinese city of Fuzhou.

"There was a feeling of nervousness until we exited North Korean airspace," Kamis told AFP. "Everyone felt relieved."

Najib on Thursday declared on Twitter that the diplomatic crisis with North Korea was over.