Sixty-five years of presence in Guinea and then a sudden departure, announced by a simple verbal note. North Korea closed its embassy in Conakry at the beginning of December. According to sources close to Seoul, we must see the effects of international sanctions. Lacking funding, Pyongyang has reportedly decided to reorganize its diplomatic network, particularly in Africa. It’s a page that is turning for Conakry.
From our correspondent in Conakry,
The red star framed by two blue bands still floats in the Bellevue sky. In this district of Conakry, the North Korean flag is still hoisted at the top of a flagpole, in front of the now empty embassy building. In the neighborhood, we didn’t even notice the departure of the diplomats.
« This is the first time that the North Korean embassy has left Guinea! They left or they didn’t leave ? » Souleymane, 62, needs to ask the question again to get to the bottom of it. He lives right across the street from the embassy. Does it make him sad to hear it closed? “ [Rires] It doesn’t make me sad… It’s a good thing! The embassy brings nothing to the population, to the neighborhood… Nothing, it was worth nothing, they can leave! » he exclaims.
North Korean cinema in the 70s
In recent years, diplomats have been very discreet, living almost in isolation. Nothing to do with the prosperous period of the 70s. At the time, the embassy was very active in the cultural field in particular.
« At the beginning, they invited Guineans to come and watch the cinema, remembers Souleymane. These were their films about agriculture, how people obeyed, how people work there. »
In the administrative center of Conakry, a construction illustrates the special relationship between Guinea and North Korea. Round and futuristic, it is a sort of immense flying saucer placed in the middle of Kaloum.
« Rush of socialist countries of the time towards Guinea »
« This is the Mohammed V Palace, formerly called the Palace of Nations. » Boubacar Diallo was an economic advisor at the Guinean embassy in China in the 1990s. The embassy which is responsible for relations with North Korea: “ It is a building that was built in the 1980s during the regime of the late president Ahmed Sékou Touré »
The architects and workers are North Korean. The building was built to host an OAU summit which ultimately did not take place in Conakry. Today, the Mohammed V Palace houses the presidency. This gift then materializes 25 years of cooperation. “ Upon gaining independence on October 2, 1958, there was a rush from the socialist countries of the time towards Guinea. To support it, the People’s Republic of Korea was one of the very first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the young Republic of Guinea. », Explains Boubacar Diallo.
So obviously, the closure of the embassy makes him “ a little pang in the heart “, because, he says, direct contacts are always more fruitful.
Read alsoNorth Korea announces the closure of several embassies, notably in Angola and Uganda
2023-12-21 08:02:09
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