North Korea’s ambassadors have been recalled to North Korea to discuss the rapidly changing situation on the Korean Peninsula as well as to reshuffle diplomatic positions, report North Korean sources.
“An order for ambassadors abroad to return to Pyongyang was made earlier this month,” said a source on July 19. “The ambassador, counselor and first secretary at the Shenyang Consulate in China returned to Pyongyang.”
The order to return was made to discuss the rapidly changing situation on the Korean Peninsula, share the results of recently held summits with South Korea, the US and China, and hand down orders concerning the diplomatic response to a range of issues, including denuclearization.
“North Korea will also conduct a reshuffling of diplomatic personnel in various countries,” the source said. “The government aims to prevent corruption from happening by shuffling personnel around on a regular basis.”
The government effort to reshuffle diplomatic personnel is aimed at preventing diplomats from engaging in smuggling and other criminal activities that could harm the image of North Korea’s diplomatic corps. It is also seen as part of broader efforts to improve the perception of North Korea by the international community and strengthen its image as a “normal country.”
The return of ambassadors to Pyongyang has led to speculation that North Korea will soon hold an “ambassadors conference.” The country currently operates 54 consulates abroad and recalls ambassadors back to Pyongyang once or twice a year to attend a conference during which the Party’s foreign policies and strategies are announced.
While North Korea does not normally publicly announce the holding of these conferences, it announced the holding the 43rd conference in July 2015. KCNA posted photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the conference posing with attendees.
In regards to the conference, a South Korean Ministry of Unification official stated, “There has been no confirmation that it will be held […] We will be watching closely at what happens.” The official further stated that, “There has been no reports on such conferences since a photo of Chairman Kim Jong Un with attendees was published in the July 15, 2015, edition of the Rodong Sinmun […] That was the 43rd such conference and I believe they hold them every year.”
A separate source in Pyongyang who corroborated the ambassadors’ callback order also reported that high-ranking members of the Ministry of State Security were recalled to Pyongyang as well.
“They were recalled to urgently review the state of overseas espionage operations, and they may also be included within the overall reshuffling of personnel,” he said.
The recall to Pyongyang can also be understood as part of efforts to identify whether sensitive information is being leaked to the outside world, he said, noting, “Those called back to Pyongyang will be subject to a review of their ideological position in regards to leaks at overseas consulates.”
