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North Korea
This Week in AsiaPolitics

‘Alarming’: North Korea sends delegation to Iran amid suspicions of greater military cooperation

  • The move is in line with Pyongyang’s efforts to attract Iran to an alliance against the US and boost cooperation for mutual benefit, analyst notes
  • The rare trip sparks concerns North Korea and Iran may seek to deepen military ties amid the Israel-Gaza war and Russia’s conflict with Ukraine

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A picture released by North Korea’s KCNA on April 23 shows a missile drill at an undisclosed location. Photo: KCNA/KNS/dpa
Park Chan-kyong
North Korea has sent an economic delegation to Iran, a rare trip that analysts say adds to suspicions of cooperation between the two internationally sanctioned countries over weapons programmes.

Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday in a single-sentence report said the North’s delegation, headed by External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho, left the previous day for Iran.

It is rare for a ranking North Korean official to visit Iran.

This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says rocket drills that simulate a nuclear counter-attack against enemies, at an undisclosed place in North Korea on April 22. Photo: KCNA/KNS via AP
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says rocket drills that simulate a nuclear counter-attack against enemies, at an undisclosed place in North Korea on April 22. Photo: KCNA/KNS via AP

The last known visit to the Middle Eastern country by a ranking North Korean official occurred in 2019 when Pak Chol-min, then North Korean vice-chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly, visited Tehran for talks on bilateral ties.

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“This move is in step with North Korea’s efforts to attract Iran to what it calls an anti-imperialist alliance against the United States,” Political Science Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha Womans University told This Week in Asia.

“Both of the two countries are under international sanctions, but they have things to exchange for mutual benefits. For example, Iran can give the North its much-needed crude oil in return for the North’s military know-how,” he said.

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While under international sanctions for their weapons programmes, Pyongyang and Tehran have maintained friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1973.

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