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North Korean Smuggling

In the fall of 1976, North Korean diplomats were expelled from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden for smuggling alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.

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October 18, 1976

Letter from Norwegian Police Security Service to Foreign Ministry, 'The North Korean Embassy - Illegal Import and Distribution of Spirits, Cigarettes, etc.'

Surveillance of the North Korean Embassy in Oslo discovered it was the source of illegal import and distribution of spirits and cigarettes, and the illegal activities were directed by the North Korean Foreign Ministry.

October 21, 1976

Telegram from the Embassy in Beijing, 'Smuggling at North Korean Embassy in Oslo'

The North Korean Ambassador in Beijing protests that North Korean embassy personnel in Oslo were expelled without consultation of the North Korean government.

October 28, 1976

Telegram from Norwegian Embassy in Pyongyang, 'Expulsion of North Korean Diplomats'

A notification for a letter received from the DPRK Embassy in Oslo.

November 5, 1976

Central Intelligence Agency, 'Weekly Summary,' November 5, 1976

A CIA summary of the North Korean smuggling scandal in Scandinavia.

October 20, 1976

Memorandum, Political Department, Unit I, Utrikesdepartmentet, 'Cabinet Secretary's Conversation with the Ambassador of North Korea'

In an unofficial meeting with North Korean Ambassador to Sweden Gil Jae-gyeong, Swedish Cabinet Secretary Sverker Åström notes evidence of North Korean smuggling and suggests that the ambassador voluntarily leave Stockholm with the diplomats involved in order to preserve positive relations between Sweden and North Korea.
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Exterior of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

North Korea, the Smuggler State

In the fall of 1976, North Korean diplomats were expelled from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden for smuggling alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.

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