In South Korea, they believe that the DPRK made this decision due to the difficult economic situation.
North Korea plans to close more than a dozen embassies around the world, including in Spain, Hong Kong and many African countries.
This was reported by Reuters with reference to the media and analysts.
On Monday, October 30, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that the country's ambassadors made “farewell” visits to the leaders of Angola and Uganda last week, and local media in both African countries reported the closure of North Korean embassies there. Both Angola and Uganda have established friendly ties with North Korea since the 1970s, maintaining military cooperation and providing rare sources of foreign exchange.
Chad O'Carroll, founder of the North Korea-focused website NK Pro, suggested the embassies could be closed due to international sanctions, a trend towards Pyongyang's global isolation and a likely weakening of the country's economy. In his opinion, such a step by the DPRK would have consequences for diplomatic interaction, humanitarian work in an isolated country, as well as the ability to generate illegal income.
South Korea's reaction
“They appear to be reluctant because their foreign currency-earning business has been hampered by tightening international sanctions, making it difficult to continue to maintain embassies. This could be a sign of the dire economic situation in North Korea, where it is difficult to maintain even minimal diplomatic relations with traditionally friendly countries,” the South Korean Ministry commented.
Let us recall that South Korea threatened Moscow for cooperation with Pyongyang.
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