In mid-August, Swedish staff left the embassy in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang.

They got new placements or had holidays, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

Sweden follows the same line as Germany and the United Kingdom.

The French cultural office in Pyongyang also brought in staff, stated NK News, which was the first with the news about the Swedish embassy.

Although it is over two weeks since the first report, it is still unclear when Swedish diplomats can return, says Sweden's envoy to the Korean Peninsula, Ambassador Kent Härstedt.

- It's unpredictable.

We do not know how covid-19 develops, he says.

The Swedish embassy in North Korea is housed in the same building as the British and German embassies.

Photo: Jakob Steinrücken / Creative Commons

Few eyes

Fewer foreign diplomats in the otherwise closed dictatorship means fewer eyes and ears that can report what is happening in the country.

And right now the country is basically completely closed, says Härstedt.

- Given the extremely strict covid-19 policy that North Korea applies, in principle North Korea's borders are completely closed.

This means that no delegations travel to or from North Korea.

- There are few connections with North Korea.

The country is more or less completely closed right now, he says.

He adds that even humanitarian aid is stopped, despite natural disasters in the country. 

At the same time, North Korea denies that covid-19 exists in the country.

- All work in North Korea is done to keep covid-19 away.

The official line is that there is no covid-19 in the country.

US Ambassador Stephen Biegun (second right) leaves a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm on October 4, 2019. He speaks with Ambassador Kent Härstedt (second left).

Photo: Reuters

Conversation with the United States

Secrecy also complicates dialogue with the United States on a possible disarmament of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula.

Sweden has a key role as a so-called protective force to the United States and a number of other western countries, and will be a communication channel between the countries.

- It's not just a matter of negotiations.

This means that the country has very few contacts with the outside world right now.