North Korea warns UK to evacuate Pyongyang embassy

North Korea has told Britain’s Foreign Office to consider evacuating the British embassy in the capital city of Pyongyang, saying that the safety of the country’s diplomats could not be guaranteed.

The British Foreign Office confirmed that its embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government on Friday, April 5.

British officials were warned that authorities in the Asian country would not be able “to guarantee the safety” of the British embassy and its diplomats if war breaks out after April 10.

Britain condemned North Korea’s “provocative” rhetoric and said no immediate decision has yet been made to withdraw diplomats from the Asian country.

In March, the US and South Korea began joint military exercises that are to continue until the end of this month. The drills saw the controversial participation of the US nuclear-capable B-52s and B-2 stealth bombers.

On April 3, the Pentagon announced a decision to deploy an advanced anti-missile system to Guam to protect the US military bases and the 6,000 American military personnel there.

The moves promoted Pyongyang to step up its war rhetoric and move two medium-range Musudan missiles to its eastern coast in preparation for a possible war.