Nearly all foreign diplomatic staff leaving N. Korea, less than 290 persons left - Russian embassy
MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) - A substantial part of foreign diplomatic staff, including the personnel of international humanitarian organizations, have left North Korea, which is experiencing an acute shortage of goods, including medicine, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said in a statement on Facebook.
"The two-week quarantine, which 38 foreign citizens who left Pyongyang on March 18 spent in a hotel in the Chinese border city of Dandong, ended today. Now they will head to Beijing or Shanghai and will take flights to their home countries from there," the embassy said.
"It's hard to tell what number this collective departure of diplomatic missions' employees from North Korea has in the total succession," it said.
"One thing is obvious: unfortunately, this isn't the last, and the exodus of foreigners will continue. In fact, there's practically no one left, less than 290 people here today. The decision to leave the Korean capital is understandable. Far from everyone can endure the unprecedentedly strict, comprehensive restrictions, the acute deficit of essential goods, including medicine, and the lack of ability to deal with health problems," the embassy said.
The missions of the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Czechia, Sweden, Switzerland, and France "have locked their gates," and all foreign personnel of international humanitarian organizations have left, it said.
"Only nine ambassadors and four charge d'affaires ad interim are representing their countries here at the moment, and the majority of functioning embassies have reduced their staff to the minimum," the embassy said.
The Russian embassy in Pyongyang is continuing to operate, it said.
"Of course, our lives haven't been easy, either. There are a lot of problems, and a number of families have had to cut their postings short for various reasons. However, the collective fully retains its working capacity, and we are continuing to perform our duties," the embassy said.