North Korea to close Ugandan embassy

Hak made the revelation during a State House visit to President Museveni, where he told Uganda’s head of state that North Korea had decided to reduce the number of embassies in Africa in order to improve the efficiency of the country’s external institutions.

He assured Museveni that the bilateral relations between Uganda and North Korea will continue despite the changes.

“Our connections will be continued through Malabo- Equatorial Guinea. Our ambassador will soon present his credentials to you. Our physical absence cannot block our hearts, minds, and souls. Our good friendship will continue and will be further strengthened and developed. I convey this commitment from my government. I have lived in Kampala for many years. I love Uganda and its people,” Hak said.

He also commended Museveni for consistently supporting the Korean government in enforcing its peaceful efforts to realise a harmonious unification of the Korean Peninsula.

“Although the Korean Peninsula situation is still intense, our government is trying to stabilize the situation. That is why it continues to build up its strength to protect its territory and people. My government still vividly remembers your famous speech at the UN General Assembly in 2017 which you made before the world as you expressed your gratitude to our government. Such a speech made us happy, and we are grateful,” Hak said.

Museveni, on the other hand, lauded Hak for a job well done during his time in Uganda. Hak has served in Uganda since 2009, initially as a deputy Ambassador and then as the full Ambassador.

This development comes against the backdrop of the Norwegian government’s announcement this week that it will close its embassy in Uganda in 2024.

Anniken Huitfeldt, Norway's Foreign Minister, stated that the move is part of the government's continuing examination of its foreign service to best defend its development policy priorities in line with available resources.

The posts will be terminated in 2024, according to the government, and the diplomat positions from these two missions will be relocated to other Norwegian diplomatic and consular missions.

“In a rapidly changing world, it is essential for us to have diplomats in the places where they can monitor global issues that have implications for Norway and promote Norwegian positions. At the same time, we must continually assess where it is best to maintain a presence in order to safeguard Norwegian interests optimally with the resources we have," Minister Huitfeldt is quoted as saying in a statement on the official government website.

The government said that as part of the changes, Norway will have fewer, but more robust Foreign Service missions while more diplomatic staff will be posted to the Norwegian Embassies in Accra, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa and Nairobi “in order to strengthen efforts in priority areas such as food security, business development and regional security in Africa.”