North Koreans visit and pay respect to the statues of late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il (not pictured) on Mansu Hill in the capital Pyongyang on Jan. 22, 2023. AP FILE PHOTO
SEOUL: Russia's embassy in North Korea says the East Asian country has eased its stringent epidemic controls in Pyongyang that were placed during the past five days to slow the spread of respiratory illnesses.