Russian diplomats push their way home with handcar out of N.Korea

Russian diplomats push their way home with handcar out of N.Korea

Russian diplomats use a hand-pushed rail trolley while crossing the demarcation line between North Korea and Russia. Reuters A group of Russian diplomats and family members used a hand-pushed rail trolley to leave North Korea this week, amid Pyongyang's strict anti-coronavirus measures, which include blocking most forms of passenger transport across the border. North Korea has not reported any confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but has imposed crippling border closings, banned most international travel, and severely restricted movement inside the country. "Since the borders have been closed for more than a year and passenger traffic has been stopped, it took a long and difficult journey to get home," Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on social media. The group of eight, including a child as young as 3, travelled 32 hours by train and two hours by bus from Pyongyang just to reach the Russian border on Thursday, the post said. The group then had to cross the border on foot, loading luggage and passengers onto to a trolley on the train tracks. Photos and video released by the ministry show the trolley, laden with brightly coloured bags and suitcases, being pushed across a wintry landscape. Embassy