Britain temporarily closes its embassy in North Korea

Britain has temporarily closed its embassy in North Korea and all its diplomatic staff have left the country, the UK ambassador said on Thursday, the latest foreign delegation to leave amid strict coronavirus restrictions.

“The British Embassy in Pyongyang closed temporarily on 27 May 2020 and all diplomatic staff have left the DPRK for the time being,” ambassador Colin Crooks said in a post on Twitter, using the initials of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The #BritishEmbassy in #Pyongyang closed temporarily on 27 May 2020 and all diplomatic staff have left the #DPRK for the time being.  If you need consular assistance call (+44) (0)207 008 1500 #NorthKorea

— Colin Crooks | 콜린 크룩스 (@ColinCrooks1) May 27, 2020

The decision was made because “restrictions on entry to the country have made it impossible to rotate our staff and sustain the operation of the embassy,” the Foreign Office said in a statement, adding that the UK would seek to re-establish its presence in Pyongyang as soon as possible.

NK News, a Seoul-based website, said the “surprise” move was linked to coronavirus-related restrictions the regime introduced early this year.

Foreign residents and diplomats from other countries, including France and Germany, were evacuated in March after the country attempted to prevent the virus from spreading via air routes and its land borders with China and Russia. The British embassy staff reportedly entered China on Wednesday by land, as flights in and out of North Korea remain suspended.

North Korea insists that it has not discovered a single case of Covid-19, although experts have questioned those claims.

NK News said hundreds of foreigners were still living in Pyongyang, including diplomats from Sweden and Russia and a small number of aid workers.

Via Reuters