James Landale

Diplomatic correspondent

Foreign diplomats and embassy staff have their temperatures recorded prior to boarding flight
Copyright: Getty Images
Image caption: Foreign diplomats and embassy st

The UK has been forced to close its embassy in North Korea because of coronavirus travel restrictions imposed by Pyongyang, the Foreign Office says.

The lockdown in the country has made it “impossible” to rotate the small number of staff and sustain work at the diplomatic compound in the capital, it adds.

“The UK has temporarily closed its embassy in Pyongyang and our staff have departed the country,” the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.

It added that diplomatic relations with North Korea were being maintained, and attempts to “re-establish our presence in Pyongyang” were ongoing.

Local reports have suggested that Pyongyang placed all foreign diplomats under effective house arrest, meaning that they were unable to leave their compounds.