WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Poland on Friday became the second Western country in North Korea's capital, after Sweden, to resume operations that had been halted due to North Korea's strict COVID-19 restrictions. announced the reopening of the embassy.
The move by NATO member Poland will open new channels of communication between NATO countries and North Korea, a close ally of Russia that has contributed troops to the fighting in Ukraine. Sweden, a new member of NATO, resumed operations at its Pyongyang mission in September.
Representatives from the Polish Foreign Ministry visited North Korea's capital this week as Poland seeks to restore its diplomatic presence. “The visit is of a technical and political nature, and one of the main objectives is to restore a permanent diplomatic presence,” the ministry said.
The Polish embassy was closed in December 2020 after North Korean authorities announced a complete closure of the country's borders due to the coronavirus pandemic. This made normal operations of diplomatic missions “impossible”, the ministry said.
Sweden, which became a NATO member in March, also represents the interests of other countries without embassies in Pyongyang, with an embassy that reopened in September.
Given the development of the war in Ukraine, the restored diplomatic channels will be useful.
NATO and the European Union (which also includes Poland and Sweden) are stepping up efforts to persuade China to stop sending troops and other support to Russia to help North Korea fight against Ukraine.
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia's Kursk border region to help repel Ukrainian forces, according to estimates from U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence agencies. NATO claims Russia is sending missile technology to North Korea in return.
