N. Korea to Shut Embassy in Uganda

North Korea is reportedly planning to close its embassy in Uganda, according to a Ugandan news report.

The Ugandan news magazine "The Independent" reported that North Korea's Ambassador to Uganda Jong Dong-hak, announced the plan during a courtesy call with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

The report stated that Jong "informed him that North Korea has strategically taken steps to reduce the number of embassies in Africa, including Uganda, to enhance the efficiency of the country's foreign institutions."

It added that North Korea's embassy in Equatorial Guinea would assume responsibility for handling diplomatic affairs with Uganda.

In 2016, Pyongyang withdrew its military officers from Uganda after President Museveni pledged to sever all military ties with North Korea in an abrupt announcement during summit talks with then-South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Museveni visited Pyongyang three times and met with North Korea's founding leader Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korea and Uganda established diplomatic relations in 1963 but resumed relations in July 1972 after an eight-year hiatus, which began in 1964 for unknown reasons.