British Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced a new strategic shift that will increase the diplomatic staff at the Seoul and Pyongyang Embassies.

The new initiative is part of the United Kingdom’s plan to extend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s global reach and strengthen its influence with the 21st century’s rising powers.

The reinvigoration of the British diplomatic network signals that the United Kingdom is now advancing where it was retreating.

The two Koreas are just two on the list of 18 countries where the FCO will post additional diplomatic staff.

The British Foreign Office will also open new embassies in South Sudan, Madagascar and Kyrgyzstan and seven new consulates in emerging markets.

A combination of strict savings in administrative spending, reductions in the United Kingdom’s subordinate posts in Europe and the other savings set out will allow the British government, for the first time in many years, to mount a diplomatic advance, Hague said.

(yoav@heraldcorp.com)