North Korea tells Britain to consider evacuating Pyongyang embassy
North Korea told the Foreign office this morning that it should consider evacuating the British embassy in Pyongyang.
Certainly North Korea no longer merits
much respect among ordinary Chinese, who have taken to insulting Kim
Jong-un as "Fatty Kim" or "Fatty the Third", in reference to his father
and grandfather, on the Chinese internet. Photo: AFP/GETTY
1:05PM BST 05 Apr 2013
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"We can confirm that the British Embassy in Pyongyang received a
communication from the North
Korean government this morning," said a spokesman for the
Foreign Office.
"It said that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee
the safety of embassies and international organisations in the country in
the event of conflict from April 10," he added.
The Foreign office declined to disclose how many staff are working in
Pyongyang, but said no decision had yet been taken on whether to pull out. "We
are considering next steps," the spokesman said.
Russia also said it had received the same notice. "Unfortunately, the
situation (on the Korean peninsula) is not developing in the way that we
would like. For us the security of our citizens is the priority," said
a Russian Foreign ministry source quoted by Interfax, the Russian news
agency.
The Foreign office said it is monitoring the situation in North Korea and is
in "close contact with allies".
"We have been clear to North Korea that if it carries out any further provocations, it will be met with a robust international response," the spokesman said.
"Kim Jong Un needs to make a choice about whether he wants his country to become more isolated or whether he wants to work towards constructive engagement with the international community," he added.
Britain has had an embassy in Pyongyang since 2001 concentrating on counter-proliferation and human rights, according to the Foreign Office.
"We support small-scale projects aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable," says the blurb on the Foreign Office website.
There is also a British Council project to train English language teachers in North Korea and a consular section to serve the needs of the handful of British citizens working in the North Korean capital.
The current ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is Michael Gifford, formerly the British ambassador to Yemen and the deputy head of the mission in Cairo.
One junior diplomat at the embassy, Barnaby Jones, hit the headlines last summer when he was photographed on a roller coaster two rows in front of Kim Jong-un.
"We have been clear to North Korea that if it carries out any further provocations, it will be met with a robust international response," the spokesman said.
"Kim Jong Un needs to make a choice about whether he wants his country to become more isolated or whether he wants to work towards constructive engagement with the international community," he added.
Britain has had an embassy in Pyongyang since 2001 concentrating on counter-proliferation and human rights, according to the Foreign Office.
"We support small-scale projects aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable," says the blurb on the Foreign Office website.
There is also a British Council project to train English language teachers in North Korea and a consular section to serve the needs of the handful of British citizens working in the North Korean capital.
The current ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is Michael Gifford, formerly the British ambassador to Yemen and the deputy head of the mission in Cairo.
One junior diplomat at the embassy, Barnaby Jones, hit the headlines last summer when he was photographed on a roller coaster two rows in front of Kim Jong-un.
