The Czech Republic has appointed a new ambassador to North Korea, more than five years after Prague suspended embassy operations in Pyongyang during the pandemic.

The website of the Czech Embassy lists Karel Šrol as the new envoy, stating he took up the post in October. 

Šrol paid a courtesy visit on Monday to the Chinese ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, who welcomed him on behalf of his embassy and the diplomatic corps in Pyongyang, according to a Chinese Embassy readout.

The new ambassador’s arrival makes the Czech Republic the fifth EU member state to restore its diplomatic