More than a dozen missions may close, likely because of international sanctions, a trend of Pyongyang's disengaging globally and the probable weakening of the North Korean economy, a report said.
Both Angola and Uganda have forged friendly ties with North Korea since the 1970s, maintaining military cooperation and providing rare sources of foreign currency such as statue-building projects.
More than a dozen missions may close, likely because of international sanctions, a trend of Pyongyang’s disengaging globally and the probable weakening of the North Korean economy, he said in a report on Wednesday.
Seoul’s unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said the pullout reflected the impact of international sanctions aimed at curbing funding for the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
“They appear to be withdrawing as their foreign currency earning business has stumbled due to the international community’s strengthening of sanctions, making it difficult to maintain the embassies any longer,” the ministry said in a statement.
North Korea has formal relations with 159 countries, but had 53 diplomatic missions overseas, including three consulates and three representative offices, until it pulled out of Angola and Uganda, according to the ministry.
Pyongyang denounced the incident as a “grave breach of sovereignty and terrorist attack,” and accused the United States of not investigating the group thoroughly and refusing to extradite its leader.
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Both Angola and Uganda have forged friendly ties with North Korea since the 1970s, maintaining military cooperation and providing rare sources of foreign currency such as statue-building projects.
More than a dozen missions may close, likely because of international sanctions, a trend of Pyongyang’s disengaging globally and the probable weakening of the North Korean economy, he said in a report on Wednesday.
Seoul’s unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said the pullout reflected the impact of international sanctions aimed at curbing funding for the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
“They appear to be withdrawing as their foreign currency earning business has stumbled due to the international community’s strengthening of sanctions, making it difficult to maintain the embassies any longer,” the ministry said in a statement.
North Korea has formal relations with 159 countries, but had 53 diplomatic missions overseas, including three consulates and three representative offices, until it pulled out of Angola and Uganda, according to the ministry.
Pyongyang denounced the incident as a “grave breach of sovereignty and terrorist attack,” and accused the United States of not investigating the group thoroughly and refusing to extradite its leader.
The original article contains 476 words, the summary contains 188 words. Saved 61%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!