Unusual: Russian diplomats leave North Korea on foot and pushing a cart

A group of Russian diplomats had to leave North Korea on foot and push their belongings into a wagon due to border measures ordered by the Kim Jong Un regime to contain the coronavirus and which keep transport paralyzed.

North Korean authorities at the start of the pandemic banned entry and exit from the country by train and much of international flights remain suspended. The measure does not include exceptions, as a group of Russian diplomats and their families found.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, which posted footage of the “long and difficult” journey on social media, said the group had to make a 32-hour train journey first, then two hours by bus, and, finally, go the last mile. on foot on the slopes.

According to the ministry, the main “engine” of the wagon was the embassy’s third secretary, Vladislav Sorokin, who would be seen in the footage pushing a wagon with three children and many suitcases on it. Across the border, Russian government officials were waiting and escorting them to Vladivostok airport.

Russia is one of the few international countries to have diplomatic representation in North Korea, a country that remains closed to most Western governments and struggles to control the entry and exit of travelers and officials.

Kim Jong Un’s regime has further tightened the lockdown in the wake of the pandemic, despite authorities claiming North Korea has yet to record coronavirus contagion.