North Korea 1April2013
North Korea. Reuters

As North Korea readies the country for combat and a possible nuclear strike, it has given the British Embassy and other foreign envoys in Pyongyang five days to evacuate.

According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, North Korea is moving another missile to the eastern coast. An unnamed senior military official confirmed to Yonhap that the North has two medium-range Musudan missiles and has placed them on mobile launchers.

According to Seoul’s defense minister, Kim Kwan-jin, the missiles have a considerable range, but they still do not have the capacity to reach the U.S. mainland.

However, foreign representatives in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, are also at risk. According to the Telegraph, the British embassy in Pyongyang was warned by local officials to evacuate as a precaution before any imminent military action.

“We can confirm that the British Embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government this morning,” a spokesman for the Foreign Office said to the Telegraph.

“It said that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organizations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10,” he said.

The official said the message was also sent to other embassies.

Britain opened its embassy in Pyongyang in 2001, and it has as its main priorities to promote human rights issues and counter-proliferation efforts, the spokesman said. However, those small-scale projects may soon be terminated as the embassy considers removing diplomats.

While the British representatives in North Korea “are considering next steps” to remove the envoy from the capital, any of the other 24 foreign diplomatic offices could be at risk.

According to embassy websites, the following nations currently have embassies in Pyongyang:

- Brazil

- Bulgaria

- Cambodia

- China

- Cuba

- Czech Republic

- Egypt

- Germany

- India

- Indonesia

- Iran

- Laos

- Malaysia

- Mongolia

- Nigeria

- Pakistan

- Poland

- Romania

- Russia

- Sweden

- Syria

- United Kingdom

- Vietnam

Some nations also continue to have diplomatic relations with North Korea but do not have resident embassies. Ambassadors in Seoul or Beijing also function as diplomats to North Korea.