Czechs to decide Monday on response to North Korean embassy evacuation suggestion

The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to decide on Monday how to respond to a warning from the North Korean authorities on Friday that embassies in Pyongyang should consider evacuating their employees in view of current tensions with South Korea. While no foreign embassies have to date announced plans to evacuate, a Czech Foreign Ministry official said on Sunday that it had been monitoring the situation over the weekend with a view to deciding on a course of action. The Czech Republic closed its embassy in Pyongyang in 1993 and reopened it in 2004, when Czech diplomats offered North Korea help in overcoming its international isolation.

Author: Ian Willoughby