'Nicaragua Close to North Korea' Notifies Closure of Embassy in South Korea

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking a commemorative photo after receiving credentials from Xenia Luz Arce Cepeda, the newly appointed Ambassador of Nicaragua to Korea, at the credential presentation ceremony for new ambassadors to Korea held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on October 17, 2023. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Nicaragua, a Latin American country strengthening close ties with North Korea, a representative anti-American nation, has decided to close its embassy in South Korea.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 24th, the Nicaraguan government recently notified our government that it had decided to close its embassy in South Korea due to worsening financial conditions.

On the 23rd (local time), the Nicaraguan government also announced through the official gazette that "the appointment of Xenia Luz Arce Cepeda as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to South Korea is revoked as of the 17th," adding, "This takes effect immediately upon publication in the gazette."

Accordingly, the Nicaraguan embassy in South Korea is expected to be closed soon.

Former Ambassador Arce Cepeda was appointed as ambassador to South Korea in May last year and presented her credentials to President Yoon Suk-yeol on October 17 of the same year, but stepped down after only six months.

South Korea and Nicaragua established diplomatic relations in 1962. The Nicaraguan embassy in South Korea was first opened in 1995, closed two years later, and then reopened in 2014.

Nicaragua pursues an anti-American diplomatic line. The Daniel Ortega government has maintained long-term rule since 2007 and has poor relations with the United States due to detentions and torture of opposition forces. On the other hand, it maintains close ties with Russia, China, and North Korea.

In particular, North Korea and Nicaragua agreed last year to open mutual embassies. Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, also sent a congratulatory letter to President Ortega in July last year to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution Day.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that if the Nicaraguan embassy in South Korea is closed, the Korea-Nicaragua relationship will be maintained through Nicaragua’s non-resident ambassadorial system.

When Nicaragua closed its embassy in South Korea in May 1997 due to financial issues and reopened it in October 2014, the Nicaraguan embassy in Tokyo, Japan, handled affairs related to South Korea.