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North Korea is reportedly closing numerous embassies
November 1, 2023, 5:14 a.m
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North Korea is cutting its diplomatic relations: According to a media report, the People’s Republic wants to close a quarter of its embassies. Financial difficulties are suspected to be the reason.
North Korea reportedly wants to close up to a dozen embassies around the world. Around 25 percent of Pyongyang’s diplomatic missions – including Spain, Hong Kong and several African countries – could be eliminated, said Chad O’Carroll, founder of the North Korea-focused website NK Pro. The embassy closures formed the basis for “one of the country’s biggest foreign policy upheavals in decades.” The move will impact diplomatic engagement, humanitarian work in the isolated country and the possibility of illegal income.
North Korea currently has official relations with 159 countries and has 53 diplomatic missions abroad, including three consulates and three missions. There is also an embassy in Berlin. The Unification Ministry in Seoul, which is responsible for inter-Korean affairs, said the withdrawal reflected the impact of international sanctions aimed at curbing funding for North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
“They appear to be withdrawing because their foreign exchange operations have stalled due to the tightening of sanctions by the international community, making it more difficult to maintain the embassies,” the ministry said. This could be a sign of North Korea’s difficult economic situation in maintaining even minimal diplomatic relations with traditionally friendly countries.
The North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on Monday that the country’s ambassadors paid “farewell visits” to the heads of state of Angola and Uganda last week. Local media in the two African countries reported the closure of North Korean embassies. Correspondence with the Spanish Communist Party posted on the party’s website shows that the North Korean embassy announced the closure in a letter dated October 26. The South Korean news agency Yonhap wrote that Spain’s affairs were handled by the mission in Italy.