The recent resumption of train trade between North Korea and China has raised the possibility that the DPRK may slowly relax its severe COVID-19 border controls, which it first imposed two years ago.

Yet diplomatic sources with experience working in or for Pyongyang tell NK Pro that they expect the country’s pandemic restrictions to continue to prevent the reopening of embassies for many years to come — with a growing range of consequences for both the foreign headquarters and the DPRK.

Embassy operations in North Korea have been grinding to a halt, one by one