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In an extra shutdown of diplomatic missions, North Korea has been closing down its embassies in Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo, media experiences confirmed.
As of Might 2023, North Korea operated a complete of 53 overseas missions, however since then, media experiences have confirmed the closure of North Korean embassies and consulates in as many as a dozen places, together with these in international locations Pyongyang views as longtime allies.
The North shut down its embassy in Dhaka on Nov. 20 and knowledgeable the Bangladeshi authorities that its embassy in India would assume duty for the related affairs, in line with a Bangladeshi every day, The Day by day Star, on Nov. 26.
The paper quoted a Bangladeshi overseas ministry official as saying the North’s transfer wouldn’t have an effect on Bangladesh “in any method” because it doesn’t have any notable commerce relations with Pyongyang.
The 2 international locations established diplomatic relations in 1973. The North Korean embassy in Bangladesh consisted of 4 diplomats, together with the ambassador. Bangladesh doesn’t have its mission in North Korea and maintains diplomatic relations with it via the Bangladesh embassy in China.
Individually, NK Information reported on Nov. 28 that the North Korean embassy within the Democratic Republic of the Congo is “set to shut” and its operations will probably be dealt with by the embassy in Ethiopia, citing a spokesman for the nation’s overseas ministry.
However the spokesman stated the North didn’t give a purpose for the embassy closure.
“Tightened worldwide sanctions on North Korea have hampered its capability to earn overseas forex, making it troublesome to keep up its diplomatic missions,” an official from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, which oversees inter-Korean relations, stated in October.
“This can be a glimpse of North Korea’s dire financial state of affairs, the place it’s troublesome to keep up even minimal diplomatic relations with conventional allies,” the ministry official stated.
However amid the hypothesis over its funds, a North Korean overseas ministry spokesperson stated on Nov. 3 that it’s within the means of “closing and opening” diplomatic missions in different international locations, and this can be a regular a part of the enterprise of sovereign nations.
“We are going to proceed to take the mandatory diplomatic steps within the context of the potential growth of our exterior relations consistent with the evolving worldwide surroundings,” the spokesperson stated at the moment.
Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.
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