The close relationship between North Korea and Russia, which has significantly strengthened due to the Ukraine war, was mentioned as a reason why many European missions in North Korea have yet to reopen.
The British daily Telegraph reported this by interviewing European diplomats who were stationed in North Korea before the country's borders closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the 13th (local time). While some embassies, like those in Poland and Sweden, have resumed operations since the pandemic, representative Western countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany have yet to do so.
According to the Telegraph, Thomas Schaefer, the former German ambassador to North Korea, stated that North Korea requested Germany to reopen its embassy, but the German government responded that it was examining 'logistical concerns.' He served as the German ambassador in North Korea from 2007 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2018. Previously, last month, the German weekly Spiegel reported that Germany had effectively rejected North Korea's proposal to reactivate its embassy.
In this context, Victor Cha, a Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), noted that 'North Korea has taken the opportunity to receive food, fuel, and currency from Russia,' but added, 'The price paid for this is its relationship with European countries.'
European diplomats who were stationed in North Korea before the pandemic reported difficulties due to sanctions against North Korea, shortages of goods, and clashes of values. Mike Gifford, the British ambassador to North Korea from 2012 to 2015, said, 'Every month I personally or employees flew to Beijing, carrying between 30,000 and 40,000 euros (48 million to 64 million won) in cash.'
Medical services were also a problem. Alistair Morgan, who served as the British ambassador to North Korea from 2015 to 2018, recalled that a diplomat's spouse fell ill and had to go to Pyongyang General Hospital but was told they could not be treated, and thus had to go to China, where they were eventually diagnosed with acute appendicitis.
However, they reported that there were advantages in delivering messages and gathering information while stationed in North Korea. Former Ambassador Morgan said, 'We were able to relay messages to the North Korean regime that foreign diplomats stationed in North Korea might not provide.' He also pointed out that being able to send information about life in North Korea back to their home countries was another advantage of being stationed there.
However, after the pandemic, North Korea has increasingly needed a partner that would provide unconditional support, which appears to have been Russia. Meanwhile, significant changes have also occurred in North American relations. It has been reported that after Donald Trump sought to regain the presidency, he attempted to send a letter to Kim Jong Un through the North Korean mission to the United Nations, but North Korea rejected it.
Former Ambassador Morgan predicted, 'Whatever Kim Jong Un does, he will not re-enter that flow (cycle) that ended with the failure of Hanoi (the North Korea-U.S. summit).'