{UAH} South Korea Targets North’s Military Links in Africa - WSJ
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South Korea's leader will visit one of North Korea's closest allies in Africa this week as she tries to disrupt Pyongyang's diplomatic and financial network to discourage its nuclear arms development.
President Park Geun-hye's trip to Uganda from Saturday through Monday follows a summit this month in Iran, another traditional Pyongyang ally, where she sought Tehran's help to implement international sanctions against North Korea following its nuclear test earlier this year.
Iran and Uganda are among a small group of "resilient" customers of North Korea's military goods and services, according to a recent study by Andrea Berger, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.
Ms. Berger said such countries were the most likely to defy international sanctions on North Korea because of deep political and military ties to Pyongyang and often their inability to access major Western arms markets.
The United Nations targeted those relationships after North Korea's Jan. 6 nuclear test by banning all weapons sales and military training by Pyongyang.
Seoul's direct outreach to two countries with close military ties to Pyongyang highlights its push to stem North Korea's cash flows from overseas after its nuclear test.
The tussle for influence in Africa also was highlighted by a visit by North Korea's ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong Nam, to Equatorial Guinea in recent days. North Korean state media reported that Mr. Kim held talks with the president this past weekend. Mr. Kim also visited Uganda in late 2014, according to official media accounts.
Uganda's military links to North Korea date back to the early 1970s when then-dictator Idi Amin signed an agreement with Pyongyang to provide training and weapons for his armed forces. Since then, North Korea has mainly provided Uganda with support services, such as training and arms maintenance.
A U.N. report this year said Uganda had confirmed North Korean military officials were training its police force as of the end of 2015. The panel also noted that military trainers from North Korea had been photographed wearing Ugandan air force uniforms.
"In light of the fact that Uganda is a strategic foothold in East Africa for North Korea, President Park's visit will provide an important opportunity to strengthen cooperation…with regard to the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue," Kim Kyou-hyun, senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security, said earlier this week.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/south-korea-targets-norths-military-links-in-africa-1464157345
Sincerely,
Brian M. Kwesiga
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President Park Geun-hye's trip to Uganda from Saturday through Monday follows a summit this month in Iran, another traditional Pyongyang ally, where she sought Tehran's help to implement international sanctions against North Korea following its nuclear test earlier this year.
Iran and Uganda are among a small group of "resilient" customers of North Korea's military goods and services, according to a recent study by Andrea Berger, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.
Ms. Berger said such countries were the most likely to defy international sanctions on North Korea because of deep political and military ties to Pyongyang and often their inability to access major Western arms markets.
The United Nations targeted those relationships after North Korea's Jan. 6 nuclear test by banning all weapons sales and military training by Pyongyang.
Seoul's direct outreach to two countries with close military ties to Pyongyang highlights its push to stem North Korea's cash flows from overseas after its nuclear test.
The tussle for influence in Africa also was highlighted by a visit by North Korea's ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong Nam, to Equatorial Guinea in recent days. North Korean state media reported that Mr. Kim held talks with the president this past weekend. Mr. Kim also visited Uganda in late 2014, according to official media accounts.
Uganda's military links to North Korea date back to the early 1970s when then-dictator Idi Amin signed an agreement with Pyongyang to provide training and weapons for his armed forces. Since then, North Korea has mainly provided Uganda with support services, such as training and arms maintenance.
A U.N. report this year said Uganda had confirmed North Korean military officials were training its police force as of the end of 2015. The panel also noted that military trainers from North Korea had been photographed wearing Ugandan air force uniforms.
"In light of the fact that Uganda is a strategic foothold in East Africa for North Korea, President Park's visit will provide an important opportunity to strengthen cooperation…with regard to the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue," Kim Kyou-hyun, senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security, said earlier this week.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/south-korea-targets-norths-military-links-in-africa-1464157345
Sincerely,
Brian M. Kwesiga
--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
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