India Restores Diplomatic Ties with North Korea, Reopens Embassy After 2021 Closure

NK News reported on Thursday that India has recently sent staff back to its embassy in Pyongyang after withdrawing all personnel in July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that staff are currently present, and operations are ongoing at the Pyongyang embassy. Staff rotations and routine activities are also taking place.

An official from the ministry noted that the embassy will take several months to fully function since a new ambassador has not yet been appointed. Still, operational staff are currently on the ground in Pyongyang.

Sweden and Poland resumed operations at their Pyongyang embassies before India in September and November, respectively.

India effectively closed its embassy when its ambassador and staff left Pyongyang in July 2021, a time when nearly all diplomats were evacuating the city.

Despite North Korea’s strict lockdown policies, India was one of the last countries to maintain its diplomatic mission there.

India, which adopted a non-aligned foreign policy during the Cold War, established diplomatic relations with North and South Korea in December of 1973 and operated its embassy in Pyongyang until the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korea kept its embassy in India open during the pandemic. Ambassador Choi Hee Chul took office shortly after India implemented lockdown measures.

The relationship between the two countries has experienced ups and downs, particularly after India blocked economic transactions with North Korea through a 2017 UN Security Council sanctions resolution. At the time, India was North Korea’s third-largest trading partner.