Seoul, South Korea — Nicaragua is set to close its embassy in South Korea, marking the second time it has done so since the embassy's first shutdown in the 1990s due to fiscal issues.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Nicaraguan government has recently communicated its decision to South Korea, with the closure expected to occur shortly. This move follows the original closure in 1997, which was attributed to financial difficulties, just two years after the embassy's establishment. Despite reopening in October 2014, the country withdrew Zhenia Ruth Arce Zepeda, its recently appointed ambassador. Meanwhile, Nicaragua plans to maintain its diplomatic presence in Seoul through a senior envoy based in a neighboring country. Additionally, Nicaragua has announced plans to open an embassy in Pyongyang, amid a broader pattern of reducing its diplomatic footprint globally, including in Germany, the United States, Mexico, and Britain.