Nicaragua’s new ambassador to North Korea is set to take up his position in Pyongyang soon, according to a news report and diplomatic sources Wednesday, amid signs of the North apparently resuming diplomacy with countries considered to be at odds with the United States.
The online NK News reported recently that Ambassador Manuel Modesto Mungula Martinez is set to present his credentials to North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, citing Rosario Murillo, Nicaragua’s vice president and first lady.
Having the new ambassador from the Latin American country is a follow-up step after the two countries agreed in July last year to open an embassy in Pyongyang, the news outlet said.
Diplomatic sources said the opening of the Nicaraguan Embassy in North Korea and appointment of the top envoy represent the first case of the reclusive regime allowing a new diplomatic mission of a foreign country in Pyongyang since the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Korea maintained a strict border shutdown during the pandemic. Most of
the diplomatic missions also closed, with the foreign diplomats stationed there leaving Pyongyang due to the closure.
The isolated state slowly reopened its borders last year, with new ambassadors coming in to rotate the positions from China and Russia in March and September.
But it has not allowed those back in from the Western countries, like Britain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Diplomatic sources said the North appears to be reshaping its diplomacy to enhance engagement with countries that it can align with more in terms of their foreign policy approach toward Washington.
Nicaragua, along with Cuba and Venezuela, is known for its hostile U.S. policy.
“There is a possibility that the North is letting in the so-called anti-imperialist independent countries first, starting with China and Russia,” a source said.
North Korea has shut down its diplomatic missions in Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hong Kong, Spain and a few others over the recent months, citing “diplomatic efficiency.”
A
s of early December last year, North Korea had 46 diplomatic missions overseas, down from 53 in early 2023.
Source: Yonhap News Agency