South Korean officials are paying attention to North Korea's move to intensify diplomatic activities in Africa. Kim Yong-nam, the second-highest ranking official in the North, is now on an 11-day visit to four African countries, leading a 24-member delegation. Press reports said that Kim originally planned to visit three countries ― Namibia, Angola and Uganda. But he added the Democratic Republic of Congo to his itinerary.
No doubt Kim's visit is intended to boost diplomatic ties and economic cooperation with the African countries. Kim is president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA). His trip comes after he visited Egypt last July when he had talks with President Hosni Mubarak. The North's delegation is the largest since one led by Yang Hyong-sop, vice head of parliament, who traveled to South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Angola in April 2005.
But this time, the visit is attracting more attention from the international community because the North's No. 2 leader is heading the delegation including foreign, trade, health and agriculture ministers. What's more conspicuous is that Kim is visiting Namibia, the world's fifth-largest uranium producer. No one can confirm whether Kim discussed any cooperation on uranium enrichment with Namibian leaders. Namibia has recently announced a plan to enrich locally mined uranium in conjunction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
If they discussed such a matter during Kim's stay, North Korea may face suspicions in relation to its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang is under growing international pressure to abide by its denuclearization agreements. It failed to meet the Dec. 31 deadline to declare all its nuclear materials and activities. The North's nuclear disarmament has hit a snag since then because it has denied any uranium enrichment program.
Against this backdrop, the North is trying to strengthen relations with the African nations in an apparent attempt to make diplomatic and economic gains. North Korea experts predict that the impoverished Stalinist country will seek to send more workers to Africa in order to get more wage remittances from overseas. More than 1,000 North Korean laborers currently work in Africa ― many of them on construction sites. North Korean builders constructed the new state house in the Namibian capital of Windhoek. Kim was to open the house before leaving the country Sunday.
In addition, sources said North Korea is apparently making efforts to sell more weapons overseas. They point out that many African countries are good markets for North Korean arms and military equipment. According to media reports, Uganda is moving to step up cooperation with the North in the field of weapons. In conclusion, the Kim Jong-il regime is increasingly resorting to arms sales and the dispatch of workers to Africa as part of its efforts to make more hard currency to prop up its crumbling economy.