Leader Kim Jong Un is embarking on the most significant reduction of North Korea's diplomatic presence, apparently with the belief that he can secure a more substantial financial return from arms deals with the Kremlin, rather than relying on missions suspected of funneling a portion of their ill-gotten gains to his regime.

While North Korea has increased its diplomatic engagement with Russia, official reports indicate that it closed its embassies in Uganda and Angola in October. Moreover, Pyongyang is planning to shut down its consulate in Hong Kong and over a dozen diplomatic facilities in various African locations and elsewhere, as per Japan's Yomiuri newspaper, citing an unnamed source familiar with North Korea's internal affairs. Additionally, South Korea's Unification Ministry believes that global sanctions have depleted Kim's financial resources, making it increasingly challenging to maintain all of its diplomatic establishments. Currently, North Korea has 47 embassies, three consulates, and three representative offices, according to the South Korean ministry.

North Korea's embassies have been associated with unorthodox activities in the diplomatic world, with accusations from the US, UK, and other nations of involvement in illegal financial schemes to fund their operations, acquire luxury items for Pyongyang's leaders, and repatriate cash generated through illicit means. North Korea consistently denies these allegations.

These embassy closures coincide with North Korea's apparent expansion of a lucrative trade in providing munitions to Russia for its actions in Ukraine. Since August, North Korea has reportedly supplied over 1 million artillery shells for Russia's military operations, and around 2,000 shipments of military equipment have been sent since September. Some of these shipments may have included short-range ballistic missiles and portable anti-aircraft missiles. This is driven by high demand for artillery in Russia's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, which has caused a surge in global artillery prices, particularly the 155 mm shells used by NATO forces, priced at approximately $3,000 each.