North Korea closes two more embassies

North Korea has closed its embassies in Senegal and Guinea, following a series of closures of its diplomatic missions abroad.

"North Korea recently closed its embassies in Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Senegal, Spain, Angola and Uganda," a South Korean Foreign Ministry official told reporters in Seoul today.

Except for Guinea and Senegal, the other five countries have been mentioned in the media before. North Korea established diplomatic relations with Guinea in 1969 and with Senegal in 1972. It is not yet clear which North Korean diplomatic representative office in which country will take over the affairs of Guinea and Senegal.

With this move, the number of North Korean embassies abroad decreased from 53 to 46. South Korean Foreign Ministry officials did not confirm information that North Korea also closed embassies in Hong Kong, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru.

"We comprehensively assess factors such as whether the host country has been notified, the state of the national flag, signage and embassy staff before confirming the closure," the official said.

Outside the North Korean embassy in Madrid, Spain in 2019. Photo: Yonhap

North Korea has diplomatic relations with more than 150 countries, but the number of overseas missions has been significantly reduced since the 1990s due to financial constraints, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry. South Korean officials also blame financial reasons for North Korea's recent embassies closures.

North Korea said in early November that closing embassies was a normal practice and had done so many times before. According to the North Korean Foreign Ministry, such changes were "aimed at advancing the country's national interests in foreign relations."

Nhu Tam (According to Yonhap, JoongAng Daily )

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