Russian Diplomats Arrive From Virus-hit North Korea On Rail Trolley
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published February 26, 2021 | 03:50 PM
Seoul, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2021 ) :Eight Russian diplomats and family members -- the youngest of them a three-year-old girl -- have arrived home from North Korea on a hand-pushed rail trolley due to Pyongyang's coronavirus restrictions.
Video posted on Russia's foreign ministry's verified Telegram account showed the trolley, laden with suitcases and women, being pushed across a border railway bridge by Third Secretary Vladislav Sorokin, the only man in the group.
They waved and cheered as they approached their homeland, the culmination of an expedition that began with a 32-hour train trip from Pyongyang, followed by a two-hour bus ride to the border.
"It took a long and difficult journey to get home," the ministry said in the post late Thursday, speaking of the final stretch.
"To do this, you need to make a trolley in advance, put it on the rails, place things on it, seat the children -- and go," it said.
"Finally, the most important part of the route -- walking on foot to the Russian side." Sorokin was "the main 'engine' of the non-self-propelled railcar", it said, and had to push it for more than a kilometre.
Once on Russian territory, they were met by foreign ministry colleagues and were taken by bus to Vladivostok airport.
"Don't leave your own behind", the ministry added as a hashtag.
North Korea imposed a strict border shutdown in January last year to try to protect itself from the coronavirus that first emerged in neighbouring China and has gone on to sweep the world.
The shutdown has cancelled all flights in or out of the nuclear-armed, sanctions-hit country, and cross-border trains.
- 'Rigorous and demanding work' - With staff and supplies unable to enter, the restrictions have severely hampered the activities of diplomats and aid workers, and several Western embassies have pulled out their entire staff.
But Russia has close relations with the North and maintains a significant diplomatic presence.
On Friday, the Kremlin said the journey out of North Korea demonstrated that diplomatic service is no walk in the park.
"It seems very pleasant and elegant but in reality this is very complex, rigorous and demanding work," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, himself a trained diplomat, told reporters.
"Things like this can happen too," he added.
Stalin's Soviet Union played a key role in the North's foundation after it and the US decided to split the peninsula into two zones either side of the 38th parallel following the World War II surrender of Korea's colonial overlord Japan.
Moscow still has a grand embassy in a prime spot in central Pyongyang, close to the North Korean leadership compound.
In South Korea, people online reacted gleefully to reports of how the diplomats departed.
"I am glad I was not born in North Korea," one posted on South Korea's biggest internet portal Naver.
Another joked: "Please return your cart to where you found it."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
Earthquake jolts Karachi
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
PDMA predicts gusty wind, rain with thunder, hails
1 day ago -
Iranian president Raisi given guard of honour at PM House
3 days ago -
Intellectuals, writers accolades Naseer Mirza on his literary contribution
3 days ago -
Bahawalpur Adabi Sangat hosts memorable mushaira
3 days ago -
Cattle farming vital to alleviate poverty in rural areas
4 days ago -
Pakistan: A land of tourism, archeological wonders
4 days ago
-
Transforming education sector: from job hunters to job creators
6 days ago -
Amjad Bobby remembered on 19th death anniversary for timeless contributions to music
10 days ago -
Legendary actor Nadeem’s 26 films released on Eid-ul-Fitr days in 50 years
10 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre to celebrate evening with Sanam Marvi on 26 April
11 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur presents program “Eidi Shidi”
14 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur to broadcast Eid programs
16 days ago