North Korea Reportedly Closes Its Embassy In Spain

Illustration/UNSPLASH

JAKARTA - North Korea closed its embassy in Madrid, Spain amid the economic crisis hitting the country due to global sanctions, according to South Korean media reports on Wednesday.

Reported by ANTARA, this latest step comes after Pyongyang also previously closed its embassies in Angola and Uganda last month, according to a report by Seoul-based Yonhap.

North Korea did not reveal the reasons for its decision.

However, South Korea's Unification Ministry claimed that the embassy was closed because North Korea was experiencing financial difficulties.

“The steps taken appear to indicate that North Korea is no longer able to maintain a diplomatic mission as its efforts to earn foreign currency have stalled due to increasingly stringent sanctions,” Yonhap said, citing an unnamed Unification Ministry official.

North Korea established diplomatic relations with Spain in 2001 and opened its embassy in 2013.

The North Korean mission in Italy will be responsible for affairs related to Spain, according to the report.