The embassies of 12 countries closed in North Korea, and all foreign personnel of international humanitarian organizations had to leave due to the difficult situation in the republic, including a shortage of goods and medicines, Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said in a statement.

The list of embassies includes the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, and France.

Those leaving the Korean capital can be understood - not everyone can withstand total restrictions unprecedented in their severity, an acute shortage of necessary goods, including medicines, and the inability to solve health problems, the embassy said in a statement.

Only nine ambassadors and four chargé d'affaires represent their states in North Korea, and the staff of most embassies still operating in the country has been reduced to a minimum, the Russian embassy noted.