PYONGYANG, April 9 (Itar-Tass) – The Russian embassy in North Korea “works as usual,” a spokesman for the embassy, Denis Samsonov, told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.
“At present, there is no talk about evacuation of embassy staff,” he said.
Russian diplomats keep a close watch on the situation in Pyongyang and other regions of North Korea and monitor all statements made by the North Korean authorities.
“An atmosphere remains calm in the capital, no signs of tensions are seen,” he said.
Embassies of other countries in North Korea, including Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cuba, Iran and Syria, work in a normal mode.
Representatives of international humanitarian organizations remain in Pyongyang despite the North Korean government’s proposal to evacuate staff amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Experts’ trips to North Korea’s rural areas, where the UN implements most of its projects, were suspended as a precautionary measure.
The heads of embassies, including those of Russia and China, humanitarian organization chiefs were invited to North Korea’s Foreign Ministry on April 5. They were told that “from April 10 the authorities will be unable to guarantee security of diplomatic missions and international organizations operating in that country in case of conflict.”
Mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula amid tough confrontation of North Korea with the United States and South Korea stir up interest in that country abroad. More foreign tourists, including Britons and Americans, arrive in Pyongyang.
According to forecasts of international travel agencies, the influx of tourists wishing to see North Korea’s realities will significantly grow this year.