Denmark–North Korea relations ( ko, 단마르크-조선민주주의인민공화국 관계) refers to the
current and historical relations between
Denmark and
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
(DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. Denmark is represented in the DPRK, through its embassy in
Beijing,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The DPRK is represented in Denmark, through its embassy in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. Denmark supports the efforts to get North Korea back to the
six-party talks. In October 2020, a documentary by
Mads Brügger
Mads Brügger (; born 24 June 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and TV host.
Career Film
Brügger's first two projects, the documentary series '' Danes for Bush'' and the feature ''The Red Chapel'', filmed in the United States and North Korea, respec ...
about
Ulrich Larsen - The Mole, a Danish chef who infiltrated North Korea for 10 years in the documentary
The Mole: Undercover in North Korea.
History and hostile relations
Denmark was one of the first countries to recognize the DPRK during the
Korean War. Diplomatic relations between Denmark and DPRK were established on 17 July 1973.
In October 1976, Denmark closed the DPRK mission to Denmark, and declared the mission as
persona non grata
In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution.
Diplomacy
Under Article 9 of the ...
, 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.
Denmark supported the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1695
United Nations United Nations Security Council resolution, Security Council Resolution 1695, adopted unanimously on July 15, 2006, after recalling resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 825, 825 (1993) and United Nations Security ...
concerning the DPRK's weapons program. Danish MFA Head of Department of Asia Susan Ulbæk stated that Denmark cannot accept a nuclear armed DPRK.
In September 2009, nine North Koreans arrived at the Danish embassy in
Hanoi,
Vietnam to seek asylum.
After the
ROKS Cheonan sinking
The ROKS ''Cheonan'' sinking occurred on 26 March 2010, when , a of the Republic of Korea Navy, carrying 104 personnel, sank off the country's west coast near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 seamen. The cause of the sinkin ...
in March 2010, by a torpedo, Danish Foreign Affairs Minister
Lene Espersen
Lene Espersen (born 26 September 1965) is a former Danish politician, a former leader of Conservative People's Party and a former Minister of Justice. She is the current CEO at the Danish Association of Architectural Firms. From 1 July 2016 to J ...
condemned the sinking of the Cheonan, stating that it believed DPRK was responsible. The Minister called on the DPRK to comply with its international obligations.
After the
Bombardment of Yeonpyeong in November 2010,
Danish Prime Minister
The prime minister of Denmark ( da, Danmarks statsminister, fo, Forsætisráðharri, kl, Ministeriuneq) is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islan ...
Lars Løkke Rasmussen condemned the attack, and called it a "military provocation".
''
The Mole: Undercover in North Korea'', a documentary miniseries directed by the Danish filmmaker
Mads Brügger
Mads Brügger (; born 24 June 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and TV host.
Career Film
Brügger's first two projects, the documentary series '' Danes for Bush'' and the feature ''The Red Chapel'', filmed in the United States and North Korea, respec ...
, highlighted North Korean incompliance with UN-sanctions. The Danish foreign minister
Jeppe Kofod
Jeppe Sebastian Kofod (born 14 March 1974) is a Danish politician of the Social Democratic Party who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark between 27 June 2019 to 15 December 2022.
Kofod previously served as a Member of the European ...
later condemned the DPRK for its involvement in illegal arms trade.
Development
Danish relief and development
non-governmental organization Mission East has as the only Danish NGO, direct access to the DPRK. Mission East has delivered 52.5 tons of aid to the North Korean people.
DANIDA
Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is the brand used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark when it provides humanitarian aid and development assistance to other countries, with focus on developing countries. There is no dist ...
has two livestock projects in the DPRK which is financed by
United Nations Office for Project Services
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is a United Nations agency dedicated to implementing infrastructure and procurement projects for the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partne ...
and
International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD; french: link=no, Fonds international de développement agricole (FIDA)) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to address ...
. 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.
See also
*
Foreign relations of Denmark
*
Foreign relations of North Korea
*
Denmark–South Korea relations
Denmark–South Korea relations refers to the Bilateralism, current and historical relations between Denmark and South Korea. Denmark has an embassy in Seoul. South Korea has an Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Denmark, embassy in Copenhagen. D ...
*
The Red Chapel
''The Red Chapel'' ( da, Det Røde Kapel) is a 2009 Danish documentary film directed by Mads Brügger. It chronicles the visit of Brügger and two Danish comedians who were adopted from South Korea, Jacob Nossell and Simon Jul, to North Korea un ...
*
Jon In Chan – North Korean ambassador to Scandinavia
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denmark-North Korea relations
North Korea
Bilateral relations of North Korea