Romania, which was the only European Union (EU) country to operate an embassy in Pyongyang despite the COVID-19 situation, stopped operating its embassy on the 9th. It is the first time that a Western diplomat has not been stationed in North Korea since Sweden opened its embassy in Pyongyang in the 1970s.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 14th, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Local diplomatic and consular activities at the Romanian Embassy in Pyongyang have been suspended due to the strengthening of measures taken by the North Korean authorities to respond to COVID-19.” The two remaining Romanian embassy employees were reported to have left North Korea by land from Sinuiju to Dandong, China on the 9th.
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, “(North Korea)’s (coronavirus-related) restrictions imposed on site have had a negative impact on Romania’s efforts to implement rotational work.” The embassy seems to have stopped operating as the North Korean authorities have made it difficult to replace personnel.
After North Korea closed its borders early last year due to COVID-19, European countries such as Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic and Bulgaria have closed their diplomatic missions one after another. As the embassy was temporarily closed to Romania, it was confirmed that there are currently no EU embassies operating in North Korea.
In a report submitted to the UN on the 8th, UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, Thomas Ohea Quintana, said, “As of July of this year, only 9 out of 25 diplomatic missions in Pyongyang have diplomatic personnel working in North Korea.” It is reported that China, Cuba, Egypt, Laos, Mongolia, Russia, Syria and Vietnam are currently operating North Korean embassies.
John Everard, former British ambassador to North Korea, told NK News, “This is the first time Sweden has not had a Western diplomat in North Korea since it opened its embassy in Pyongyang in the 1970s.”
Nikolai Spreckels, head of the German human rights group People, also worried that the RFA would lack objective data to understand the situation in North Korea.
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