A high-ranking North Korean delegation unexpectedly visited Iran

North Korean state news agency KCNA On April 24, it was reported that a delegation led by North Korean Minister of Foreign Economic Relations Yun Jong Ho departed for Iran by plane on April 23. KCNA did not reveal further details about the visit.

The last time a Pyongyang official made a publicly announced visit to Tehran was in 2019.

In February, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Mr. Kim expressed confidence that “the traditional relationship of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, formed on the common path of fighting against imperialism, will expand and develop in many fields.”

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said last week that Washington was “extremely concerned” about suspected cooperation between Tehran and Pyongyang in developing nuclear and ballistic missiles. The two countries are under harsh international sanctions over their weapons programs.

Last week, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it was “monitoring whether North Korean technology was incorporated into Iran’s ballistic missiles launched at Israel, considering missile cooperation.” fire between North Korea and Iran before”.

Pyongyang also faces accusations from the West that the Palestinian armed group Hamas, which has ties to Iran, used North Korean weapons in an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

At that time, KCNA dismissed this accusation as “baseless and false rumors”, aiming to “shift responsibility for the Middle East crisis caused by America’s wrong hegemonic policy to a third country”.