Teguh Santosa Welcomes Happy That The Indonesian Flag Is Flying Again In North Korea

JAKARTA After being closed in 2021, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Pyongyang, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (RRDK) or North Korea has reopened.

The Indonesian Embassy in Pyongyang closed in July 2021 due to low diplomatic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea closed borders with the People's Republic of China (RRT) and Russia exactly on the same day as the closure of the city of Wuhan on the RRT which is the center of the spread of this deadly virus, namely on January 23, 2020.

At the end of 2020, the North Korean government invited representatives of friendly countries to temporarily transfer or repatriate diplomatic staff. Following this suggestion, several foreign embassies immediately repatriated their diplomatic staff. Meanwhile, Indonesia has just withdrawn diplomatic staff in July 2021.

In an upload on his Instagram account, @teguhtimur, Chairman of the Indonesian-RRD Korean Friendship Association, Teguh Santosa, hopes that the reopening of the Indonesian Embassy in Pyongyang will make relations between the two countries even better.

"Alhamdulillah, the Red and White will fly again at the courtyard of the Indonesian Embassy in Pyongyang, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. God willing, relations between Indonesia and North Korea will be warmer," he said while uploading a simple ceremony raising the Red and White flag at the Indonesian Embassy in Pyongyang.

Teguh also congratulated the Indonesian Embassy's Ad Interim (KUAI) KBRI Pyongyang, Riza H. Wardhana, and two other diplomats who strengthened the Indonesian Embassy in Pyongyang.

Teguh, who inherited the Indonesian-RRD Korea Friendship Association from its founder, almh. Rachmawati Soekarnoputri has been intensively visiting North Korea since 2003. During last April visit last year, Teguh passed in front of the vacant Indonesian Embassy in Pyongyang.

"Sad also saw the building of the Indonesian Embassy in Pyongyang empty. But thankfully, now it has reopened," said the doctor of International Relations from Padjadjaran University (Unpad) who took the specifications of a Korean study.

Teguh also said that recently he received a call from a colleague who is now on duty at the Korea International Exhibition Company (Korexpo). The Korexpo party hopes for the participation of Indonesian business circles in a trade exhibition which is planned to be held in a tourism center in the city of Wonsan, on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.

"I have contacted a number of friends here who are interested, and we are just waiting for an official letter from Korexpo," he said.