Foreign Diplomats Leave North Korea Capital amid Acute Shortage of Essential Goods

Diplomatic missions of 12 states have suspended work in North Korea and all foreign personnel of international humanitarian organizations have left the country due to the challenging situation, namely over the lack of goods and medicine, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang wrote on its Facebook page.

"Those leaving the Korean capital can be understood - not everyone can tolerate the unprecedentedly strict total restrictions, the sharpest shortage of essential goods, including medicine, the lack of possibility to solve health problems," the Embassy said.

According to the statement, "locks have been put on the gates of the Embassies of the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, France, and all foreign personnel of international humanitarian organizations have left."

Only nine ambassadors and four charges d'affaires are representing their countries now, while "the personnel of the majority of Embassies working here has been reduced to a minimum."