Germany Remains Silent on North Korea's Proposal to Reopen German Embassy in Pyongyang

The German government has reportedly not responded to North Korea's proposal to resume operations at the German Embassy in North Korea.

According to Yonhap News Agency, citing local media on June 21, North Korea recently informed the German government that it was ready to reopen the embassy in Pyongyang. However, the German side has not confirmed whether it will return. Local media analysis suggests that the German Foreign Ministry has shown a skeptical response to returning to Pyongyang, as North Korea has engaged in illegal military cooperation, including dispatching troops to support Russian forces invading Ukraine.

The German Embassy in North Korea was closed in March 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, following North Korea's decision to seal its borders. In February last year, the German government sent a delegation to Pyongyang to inspect facilities and prepare for the possible reopening of the embassy. However, when Germany attempted to visit Pyongyang again in May of the same year, North Korea abruptly suspended the issuance of visas.

Subsequently, in October last year, after it became known that North Korean troops had been dispatched to Russia, the German Foreign Ministry summoned the acting ambassador of the North Korean Embassy in Germany to lodge a protest.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweden (September 2024) and Poland (November 2024) are among the Western countries that have reopened their embassies in Pyongyang. In the case of Switzerland, in February this year, the ambassador to China, who also serves as ambassador to North Korea, received credentials from the North Korean authorities and returned to Pyongyang.