A German delegation is currently in North Korea to inspect the condition of the country’s embassy in Pyongyang, according to the German Federal Foreign Office, in what appears to be the first visit by European staff in some four years.

The visit appears to be part of preparations for German diplomats to potentially return to the capital as the DPRK eases pandemic border controls, though a spokesperson cautioned that it “does not in any way preempt a reopening of the German Embassy.”

“A delegation from the Federal Foreign Office is currently on a technical inspection tour of our Embassy premises