More Western countries reopen embassies in North Korea

The Swiss Embassy in North Korea has officially resumed operations as new Ambassador Jurg Burri presented his credentials to Chairman of the Standing Committee of the North Korean National Assembly Choe Ryong-hae.

Swiss Embassy in North Korea. (Source: Flickr)

According to information from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) , the ceremony to present the Letter of Credence took place on February 20, with the participation of North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-kyong and officials from the Swiss Embassy.

This event marks an important turning point in diplomatic relations between the two countries after a period of interruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, taking place in the context that the two countries just celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations at the North Korean Embassy in Switzerland last month.

Switzerland became the third Western country to reopen an embassy in Pyongyang, after Sweden and Poland.

Since North Korea relaxed border controls in August 2023, only a few countries with close ties such as China, Russia, Mongolia and Cuba have maintained limited embassy operations.

According to the South Korean Unification Ministry, there are currently 16 foreign embassies operating in North Korea, including Brazil, Iran, India, Nigeria and Nicaragua.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/them-quoc-gia-phuong-tay-mo-lai-dai-su-quan-tai-trieu-tien-305124.html