Ambassador Foyer has been the Swedish ambassador to the DPRK since 2005. Sweden is the protecting power for the U.S. in the DPRK, a task that includes consular responsibility for U.S. citizens visiting the DPRK. Prior to assuming his current position, Foyer served for three years as a minister in charge of political affairs at the Swedish embassy in Beijing, China. He has also served in the Swedish embassy in the Russian Federation as well as in the former Czechoslovakia, and worked at the Russia desk at Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foyer, who holds an LLB and BA from the University of Stockholm, speaks Swedish, English, Russian and French.

A Year in North Korea: Impressions of the DPRK

No country on earth guards its privacy as closely as the DPRK. Precious few outsiders know what actually takes place north of the DMZ. Many have seized on this absence of information to portray the DPRK as an international menace. With the North's recent nuclear test upping the geopolitical ante, accurate information on the country is more important than ever. And there are people who can provide it. A diplomatic and expatriate community does exist in Pyongyang, populated by a select group of foreigners with unparalleled access to local officials. These individuals possess a deeply personal insight into current events in North Korea, and a unique perspective on the land and its people.

Swedish Ambassador to the DPRK Mats Foyer will share his impressions from a year of working as a foreign diplomat in the DPRK, as well as an overview of the European Union's and Sweden's policies on the DPRK. Ambassador Foyer's analysis of the political, economic, social and human rights situation in the DPRK reflects the most current and reliable firsthand information. He will also discuss and interpret the North Korean government's decision to stop receiving humanitarian assistance, and the continued, if reduced, presence of humanitarian NGOs in the country.