North Korea is demanding that Israel pay $1 billion to prevent it from selling missile technology to Iran.
(Baonghean.vn) - According to a newly published book by Thae Yong-ho, former North Korean deputy ambassador to the UK who defected to South Korea two years ago, in a cafe in Stockholm (Sweden) in 1999, the North Korean ambassador to Sweden offered his Israeli counterpart $1 billion in cash in exchange for Pyongyang not selling missile technology to Iran.
 |
| Former North Korean deputy ambassador to the UK, Thae Yong-ho. Photo: AP |
This information was revealed by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on July 8th. However, Israel did not accept this request from North Korea. Instead, Tel Aviv only offered to provide food aid, and negotiations between the two sides ended without reaching an agreement.
The Wall Street Journal added that they have been unable to contact the two ambassadors from each country in Sweden who participated in the secret meeting. The Israeli ambassador was former Ambassador Gideon Ben Ami, while the North Korean ambassador was Son Mu Sin.
In an interview broadcast on Israeli national television last week, Ben Ami said that he had conducted a series of meetings with the North Korean ambassador between 1999 and 2002. Ben Ami stated that the North Korean side initiated these contacts.
 |
| Iran's Shabab-3 long-range missile. Photo: AFP |
The Wall Street Journal quoted an expert on North Korean arms deals as saying that the Pyongyang regime has been selling conventional and ballistic weapons to Iran since the early 1980s. Another expert pointed out similarities between Iran's Shahab-3 and Khorramshahr missiles and North Korea's Nodong and Musudan missiles, suggesting cooperation between the two countries.
Information about the secret exchange between Israel and North Korea was revealed at a time when Washington and Pyongyang are stepping up negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Last weekend, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Pyongyang to discuss related issues. However, North Korea subsequently accused the administration of President Donald Trump of unilaterally and coercing its demands for denuclearization.
