Denmark–North Korea relations
Encyclopedia
Denmark–North Korea relations refers to the current and historical relations
between Denmark
and North Korea
. Denmark is represented in North Korea through its embassy in Beijing
, China
. North Korea is represented in Denmark, through its embassy in Stockholm
, Sweden
. Denmark supports the efforts to get North Korea back to the Six party talks.
. Diplomatic relations between Denmark and North Korea were established on 17 July 1973. In October 1976, Denmark closed the North Korean mission to Denmark, and declared the mission as persona non grata
, after charges of black market import, sale of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. Later Norway
and Finland
followed. North Korea closed their embassy in Denmark in 1998, because of their budget reducement.
In June 1983, Japan
ese Keiko Arimoto, who was studying in Copenhagen
, was abducted by North Korean agents. The Government of North Korea later admitted the kidnapping, and listed her as dead.
In September 2009, nine North Koreans arrived at the Danish embassy in Hanoi
, Vietnam
to seek asylum.
After the ROKS Cheonan sinking
in March 2010, by a North Korean torpedo, Danish Foreign Affairs Minister Lene Espersen
condemned the sinking of the Cheonan, stating that it believed North Korea was responsible. The Minister called on North Korea to comply with its international obligations.
In July 2010, Danish ambassador to China, Mongolia
, and North Korea visited Pyongyang
and met North Korean Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly
, Kim Yong Nam.
After the Bombardment of Yeonpyeong
in November 2010, Danish Prime Minister
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
condemned the attack, and called it a "military provocation".
Mission East
has as the only Danish NGO, direct access to North Korea. Mission East has delivered 52.5 tons of aid to the North Korean people who have suffered from the North Korean famine
. DANIDA
has two livestock projects in North Korea, which is financed by United Nations Office for Project Services
and International Fund for Agricultural Development
. Denmark offers North Korea humanitarian aid through multilateral organisations as Red Cross and the World Food Programme
. Denmark tries to influence the development of democratization, respect for human rights and liberalization of the North Korean economy. In 2008, Danish aid to North Korea amounted 239 million DKK.
Bilateralism
Bilateralism consists of the political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. For example, free trade agreements signed by two states are examples of bilateral treaties. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which refers to the conduct of diplomacy by a...
between Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. Denmark is represented in North Korea through its embassy in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. North Korea is represented in Denmark, through its embassy in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Denmark supports the efforts to get North Korea back to the Six party talks.
History and hostile relations
Denmark was one of the first countries to recognize North Korea during the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Diplomatic relations between Denmark and North Korea were established on 17 July 1973. In October 1976, Denmark closed the North Korean mission to Denmark, and declared the mission as persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
, after charges of black market import, sale of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. Later Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
followed. North Korea closed their embassy in Denmark in 1998, because of their budget reducement.
In June 1983, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Keiko Arimoto, who was studying in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, was abducted by North Korean agents. The Government of North Korea later admitted the kidnapping, and listed her as dead.
In September 2009, nine North Koreans arrived at the Danish embassy in Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to seek asylum.
After the ROKS Cheonan sinking
ROKS Cheonan sinking
The ROKS Cheonan sinking occurred on 26 March 2010, when the Cheonan, a South Korean Navy ship carrying 104 personnel, sank off the country's west coast near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 seamen...
in March 2010, by a North Korean torpedo, Danish Foreign Affairs Minister Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen is a Danish politician and member of parliament who has been Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs since 23 February 2010 and was leader of the Conservative People's Party and Deputy Prime Minister from 9 September 2008 to 13 January 2011...
condemned the sinking of the Cheonan, stating that it believed North Korea was responsible. The Minister called on North Korea to comply with its international obligations.
In July 2010, Danish ambassador to China, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, and North Korea visited Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
and met North Korean Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly
Supreme People's Assembly
The Supreme People's Assembly is the unicameral parliament of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , commonly known as North Korea...
, Kim Yong Nam.
After the Bombardment of Yeonpyeong
Bombardment of Yeonpyeong
The bombardment of Yeonpyeong was an artillery engagement between the North Korean military and South Korean forces stationed on Yeonpyeong Island on November 23, 2010. Following a South Korean regular artillery exercise at waters in the south, North Korean forces fired around 170 artillery shells...
in November 2010, Danish Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Denmark
The Prime Minister of Denmark is the head of government in Danish politics. The Prime Minister is traditionally the leader of a political coalition in the Folketing and presides over the cabinet....
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Lars Løkke Rasmussen is a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from April 2009 to October 2011. He is the leader of the centre-right liberal party, Venstre....
condemned the attack, and called it a "military provocation".
Development
Danish relief and development non-governmental organizationNon-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
Mission East
Mission East
Mission East is a Danish relief and development NGO. The organisation was founded in 1991 by Rene Hartzner, and works with emergency relief aid, rehabilitation and development in Afghanistan, Armenia, Nepal, Romania, and Tajikistan....
has as the only Danish NGO, direct access to North Korea. Mission East has delivered 52.5 tons of aid to the North Korean people who have suffered from the North Korean famine
North Korean famine
'The North Korean famine was a famine in North Korea which began in the early 1990s...
. DANIDA
DANIDA
Danish International Development Agency , is a Danish organisation inside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, set up to provide humanitarian aid and assistance in developing countries.-Origin of name:...
has two livestock projects in North Korea, which is financed by United Nations Office for Project Services
United Nations Office for Project Services
The United Nations Office for Project Services , is dedicated to implementing projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partners in the aid world...
and International Fund for Agricultural Development
International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
. Denmark offers North Korea humanitarian aid through multilateral organisations as Red Cross and the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
. Denmark tries to influence the development of democratization, respect for human rights and liberalization of the North Korean economy. In 2008, Danish aid to North Korea amounted 239 million DKK.