Editor’s note: This article is the first in a two-part series looking at the status of foreign embassies, international organizations and other foreign groups in the DPRK after years of pandemic restrictions.

Nearly five years after North Korea closed its borders due to COVID-19, the landscape of foreign diplomatic missions in Pyongyang remains a mixed picture, as the DPRK favors traditional partners and shuns key European countries.

A comprehensive NK Pro survey of embassy operations in the DPRK shows that North Korea has prioritized the return of diplomatic staff from friendly nations like China