Discover the implications of North Korea embassy closures on global diplomacy and international finance. A significant foreign policy shift is underway.
According to South Korea’s unification ministry, North Korea’s recent closure of diplomatic missions indicates that the reclusive nation is finding it difficult to earn money abroad due to international sanctions.
According to a report released on Monday by the state media outlet KCNA, North Korean ambassadors paid “farewell” visits to leaders of Angola and Uganda last week. Both African countries’ local media reported that the North had closed its embassies there. The North Korea embassy closures are one to talk about.
Angola and Uganda have had friendly relations with North Korea since the 1970s, including military cooperation and the provision of infrequent foreign exchange earnings from statue-building projects.
According to Chad O’Carroll, the founder of the North Korean-focused website NK Pro, the embassy closures set the stage for “one of the country’s biggest foreign policy shake-ups in decades.” This could have ramifications for diplomatic relations, humanitarian efforts in the isolated nation, and the ability to generate illegal funds.
He claimed in a report on Wednesday that more than a dozen missions may close, most likely as a result of international sanctions, Pyongyang’s pattern of disengagement from the rest of the world, and the North Korean economy’s likely decline.
According to Seoul’s unification ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, the withdrawal was prompted by international sanctions aimed at reducing finance for North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
Before departing Angola and Uganda, North Korea operated 53 diplomatic missions abroad, including three consulates and three representative offices, according to the ministry. It has formal diplomatic ties with 159 countries.
According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, North Korea would likewise close its embassy in Spain and conduct business in the neighboring country through its mission in Italy.
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