North Korea to ensure the safety of its diplomats after a warning that missions should consider evacuating, and that it would not tolerate "troublemaking" on its doorstep.North Korean authorities on Friday told embassies in Pyongyang that their safety could not be guaranteed if a conflict breaks out, after weeks of escalating threats against the United States and South Korea.
Foreign Ministry front man Hong Lei said China "expresses grave concerns" about the growing tensions on the Korean peninsula but that the Chinese embassy was "operating normally."
"The Chinese government has already asked the North Korea side to earnestly ensure the safety of Chinese diplomats in North Korea, in accordance with the Vienna Convention and international laws and practices," he said in a statement on the foreign ministry website Sunday.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone conversation with U.N. Secretary General
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
that there were deep concerns over the situation on the Korean peninsula.
"We oppose provocative words and actions by any party in this region, and will not allow troublemaking on China's doorstep," he said in unusually sharp comments released by the ministry late Saturday.