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Weapons trade?Īndrei Lankov, based at Kookmin University outside Seoul, spent time in North Korea during the 1980s, and specialises in Pyongyang's Soviet-era relationships. There are recent reports of cultural exchanges between the two countries, and of economic co-operation.Īnd, perhaps most interestingly, a 2013 protocol for the development of science and technology, and an "exchange of goods".īut there is no detail about what these agreements and exchanges actually consist of. Organisations such as the Cuban Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification and the Korean Committee for Solidarity with Cuba make regular appearances, along with quotes from Cuban newspapers which backed Pyongyang during its recent stand-off with the United States.
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"They're the only fully communist countries still in existence, and they've both faced direct US military action, which has helped bind them together," she explains.Ī scan of recent North Korean media articles shows a relationship that is strong on public displays of communist support. North Korea is looking to trade for money, and Cuba isn't willing to pay much” End Quote Andrei Lankov Kookmin University
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Korean historian Kathryn Weathersby, adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University, says the two countries have a long and close relationship.Ĭontinue reading the main story “ Start Quote There are certainly a lot of similarities: both are small communist states that survived the collapse of the Soviet Union both have successfully carried out dynastic successions and both operate under US economic sanctions. The recent discovery of Cuban weapons on board a North Korean ship has taken many people by surprise, and led to questions about hidden ties between two countries. The report, just a few lines long, was short on detail and easy to miss. It described a visit by senior military officials to Cuba, and "comradely" talks there on "boosting the friendly relations between the two armies". Cuba arms on seized N Korean ship WatchĪt the beginning of July, a short bulletin appeared on North Korea's state news agency.Mr Obama said that while he understood China's position, there was "a difference between restraint and wilful blindness to consistent problems".Continue reading the main story Related Stories The two North Korean statements came as Mr Obama held what he called blunt talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the warship issue.Ĭhina's stance is key to any unified Security Council response, because it holds a veto.īeijing has in the past opposed strong measures against Pyongyang because it fears the collapse of its impoverished neighbour. US troops said that they were checking the report. "Strong military counter-measures" would be taken if the weapons were not removed, the statement said. In a second statement on Monday, North Korea accused the US of bringing weapons into Panmunjom, the truce village that lies in the demilitarised zone, on 26 June. North Korea announced in May that it had successfully conducted a nuclear fusion reaction, the type used in a hydrogen bomb.īut that kind of breakthrough would require a major technological leap and many experts doubt whether North Korea has the facilities or the resources, our correspondent says. The BBC's John Sudworth, in Seoul, says the comments could also be meant as a hint that it is trying to build a hydrogen bomb, a massively more powerful weapon than the type it is already known to possess. It is thought to have both plutonium and uranium-based weapons programmes. North Korea has carried out two nuclear tests. "The recent disturbing development on the Korean peninsula underscores the need for (North Korea) to bolster its nuclear deterrent in a newly developed way to cope with the US persistent hostile policy toward (the North) and military threat toward it," it quoted the foreign ministry as saying. The North Korean statement, carried by official news agency KCNA, did not give any details of how the communist country could bolster its nuclear capability. South Korea is seeking a UN Security Council response over the incident, for which North Korea denies all responsibility. Investigators say North Korea sank the warship with a torpedo on 26 March.įorty-six sailors died when the South Korean ship, the Cheonan, split in two and went down near the disputed inter-Korean maritime border. The statements came hours after US President Barack Obama urged his Chinese counterpart to take a stronger stance on the warship issue. It also accused the US of taking weapons into Panmunjom, the truce village in the demilitarised zone. North Korea is threatening to introduce a new nuclear deterrent because of US hostility, amid tensions over a sunken South Korean warship.