Technical and political in character, the visit seeks among other things to restore the Republic of Poland’s permanent diplomatic presence in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

For the time being, the Polish Embassy to Pyongyang is resuming work in a temporary chancery and with limited personnel, headed by a career diplomat and MFA employee in the capacity of chargé d’affaires a.i.

The visit also aims at reviewing the technical condition of the permanent chancery in order to have the necessary renovations carried out in the near future.

The Polish Embassy to Pyongyang was evacuated in December 2020 after the DPRK authorities announced a complete closure of the state border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which rendered the normal work of Poland’s diplomatic mission to Pyongyang impossible and resulted in the suspension of the Embassy’s operation in that country.

Having resumed the work of its diplomatic mission to the DPRK this September, Sweden is the only other Western country present in Pyongyang alongside Poland.

Poland has maintained diplomatic relations with the DPRK since 1948. Pursuant to the Korean Armistice Agreement of 27 July 1953, Poland has been a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission and has for years engaged in stabilising the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, including by maintaining relations with both Korean states.