According to the '2024 Global Diplomacy Index', North Korea ranked 58th out of 66 countries this year with 43 diplomatic missions abroad.
The ' Global Diplomacy Index 2024 ' report released by the Lowy Institute, an Australian diplomacy and security expert, on its website on the 25th .
The Lowy Institute maps the location and number of embassies , consulates , and resident missions of 66 countries around the world, including the G20 ( 20 major countries ) and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries , based on the results of its analysis and compilation. and charts were used to evaluate the diplomatic power of each country .
North Korea was found to have 43 diplomatic missions, including 39 embassies and high-level representation offices , 1 consulate general and consulates , and 3 permanent missions .
This is 10 fewer than last year .
Accordingly, the ranking fell 6 places from 52nd last year .
The report said, “ North Korea has closed 10 embassies abroad , reflecting its deepening isolation ,” making it the third country to do so, following Afghanistan, which closed 19, and Sudan, which closed 14 .
Since last year, North Korea has been closing its embassies abroad one after another, including in Spain, Hong Kong , Senegal, and Angola .
In response, North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in November last year, " We are pursuing the withdrawal and establishment of diplomatic missions in foreign countries in accordance with the changing international environment and foreign policy . "
However, the prevailing analysis is that North Korea, which is suffering from financial difficulties, is closing a mission that has no practical benefit.
These are the words of Ko Young-hwan, Special Assistant to South Korea's Minister of Unification, the ' No. 1 ' North Korean defector diplomat who served as first secretary at the North Korean Embassy in Congo and then defected to South Korea .
Special Advisor Ko Young-hwan : In many cases , North Korea's overseas embassies use diplomatic immunity and diplomatic documents ( pouches ) to finance their own operating expenses through various illegal transactions and evasion of the law, such as smuggling cigarettes and whiskey . However, as the international community strengthened sanctions against North Korea due to North Korea's nuclear development and missile provocations, most of these illegal foreign currency earning activities were blocked .
Meanwhile, according to this report, China ranked first in the world again this year, continuing last year, with a total of 274 embassies .
The United States took second place with 271 , the same as last year , and Turkiye ranked third with a total of 252 , up two places from last year .
Japan ranked 4th with a total of 251 , the same as last year , and Korea also ranked 13th with a total of 187 , unchanged from last year .
On the other hand, Bhutan, which has 10 embassies abroad, ranked last .
Ministry of Trade calls TikTok to review implementation of Minister of Trade Regulation : Indonesia
The Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) stated that it would summon the management of the TikTok platform this week to see the implementation of Minister of Trade Regulation Number 31 of 2023 which mandates the separation of social media and online commerce.
"Yes, he was summoned to see compliance . "Yesterday there was only 25 percent (remaining migration) left 2 weeks or 3 weeks ago," said the Director General of Domestic Trade (PDN) at the Ministry of Trade, Isy Karim, in Klender, East Jakarta, Monday.
In the Minister of Trade Regulation, specifically in Article 21 paragraph (3), there is a prohibition on social media not to facilitate payment transactions on electronic systems.
Isy said that the process of migrating TikTok Shop transactions on the TikTok platform was already underway to its partner, namely Tokopedia.
"Yes, payments have switched to Tokopedia," he said.
The Ministry of Trade is fully monitoring the progress of the TikTop Shop migration to Tokopedia so that there are no violations in accordance with the Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) Number 31 of 2023 concerning Business Licensing, Advertising, Guidance and Supervision of Business Actors in Trading Through Electronic Systems (PMSE).
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Trade (Wamendag) Jerry Sambuaga said that the TikTok migration process to Tokopedia was still ongoing to comply with Minister of Trade Regulation 31/2023.
According to him, the migration process takes time because there are technical aspects that need to be harmonized.
"How was the transaction? What happened after the merger? That is very, very technical. This is what the perpetrator's friends are working on and doing," said Jerry.
Minister of Trade Regulation 31/2023 regulates that social media is not allowed for selling and making payment transactions.
To fulfill this, TikTok has partnered with Tokopedia on December 12 2023. However, since TikTok's investment in Tokopedia was launched, it is known that users can still make transactions via the TikTok application.
Also read: Deputy Minister of Trade Jerry: TikTok-Tokopedia migration is still ongoing
Also read: Ministry of Trade says TikTok-Tokopedia system migration is on target
Previously, Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (Menkop UKM) Teten Masduki on Monday (19/2) said that TikTok was still violating Minister of Trade Regulation Number 31 of 2023.
Teten assessed that TikTok was still integrating social media with its digital market in one application.
"We have a problem with TikTok in practice still using the TikTok Shop integrated with social media," he said.
To follow up on these violations, his party has coordinated with the Ministry of Trade.
Teten has also proposed a revision of Minister of Trade Regulation Number 31 of 2023 regarding predatory pricing or price competition.
He requested that the proposed revision add a prohibition on not selling below the cost of goods sold (HPP).
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