FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP

For diplomats with families, a posting usually goes something like this: Diplomat gets assigned for two, four, or however many years to Country X. Embassy in Country X helps get spouse and kids settled, networking to find spouse a job if s/he is allowed and wants to work, and finding a school for the younguns. The entire family usually goes abroad, unless Junior is off to college.

That's the situation for diplomats from all countries. That is, all countries except for North Korea. Earlier this year, the North Korean Communist Party revived an old regulation saying that diplomats can only take one child with them overseas. The regulation was suspended in 2002, but now is being enforced again. Officials in Pyongyang fear that too much exposure to foreign influences will cause diplomats to wave goodbye to their homeland. By keeping some of their offspring in North Korea, the government guarantees that its diplomats will think hard before defecting. Now comes news that some of these diplomats are refusing to send their kids back home, particularly at the embassy in China. Keep your eyes peeled to see if this leads to tensions between Beijing and Pyongyang.