The world has long since moved on from the closures and restrictions of the pandemic, but five years since the first COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the patchy return of diplomatic missions and foreign aid organizations to Pyongyang shows that North Korea is still far from restoring the pre-2020 status quo.

This week, NK News founder Chad O’Carroll joins the podcast to discuss his investigation into the status of all the countries and organizations that once had an on-the-ground presence in the DPRK, from embassies and cooperation offices to NGOs, businesses and schools.

He also explores why North Korea has opened its doors to friendly countries like Brazil, India and Nicaragua and even NATO members Sweden and Poland, while seemingly giving the cold shoulder to the rest of Europe.

This episode features discussion of the following NK Pro stories:

Where things stand with the diplomatic community in North Korea

From aid to academia: The status of foreign organizations in North Korea

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.