Iceland–North Korea relations refers to the
current and historical relationship between
Iceland and the
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. Neither nation maintains an embassy in their respective capitals. Instead, the Icelandic ambassador in
Beijing is also accredited to North Korea,
while the North Korean ambassador 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 ...
is accredited to Iceland.
The
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
embassy in
Pyongyang handles visa matters on behalf of Iceland.
History
According to most sources, diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1973, when all
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
jointly opted to recognize the DPRK, ending the country's diplomatic isolation in Western Europe.
The Icelandic non-resident embassy to North Korea on the other hand states this took place on 2 April 1982, a decade later.
In the 1980s, pro-DPRK organizations and
juche study groups were established in Iceland as in many other countries, as part of North Korean diplomatic efforts to build support for itself. One of these was the Icelandic Solidarity Committee for Reunification of Korea, which visited
Pyongyang in the decade's first years, and the Iceland–Korea Friendship and Cultural Society which sent a delegation led by its General Secretary Hrafn Harðarson during the decade's later half. The Iceland–Korea Friendship and Cultural Society remained active as of at least 2011.
Following the
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
, Iceland's non-resident ambassador to North Korea at the time stated that he had never visited the country. In 2009 the Icelandic
Minister for Foreign Affairs at the time,
Össur Skarphéðinsson, expressed his deep concerns with the ongoing missile crisis, and called for North Korea to return to the negotiations with the international community. In 2013 the non-resident DPRK ambassador Pak Kwang Chol presented his credentials to President
Ólafur Ragnar GrÃmsson. The two also discussed fishing, geothermal energy, and development programs.
The ambassador was recalled only two months later, following the purge and execution of
Jang Sung-taek
Jang Song-thaek (January or February 1946 – 12 December 2013) was a leading figure in the government of North Korea. He was married to Kim Kyong-hui, the only daughter of North Korean Premier Kim Il-sung and his first wife Kim Jong-suk, and o ...
, of whom the ambassador was a close associate.
See also
*
Foreign relations of Iceland
Iceland took control of its foreign affairs in 1918 when it became a sovereign country, the Kingdom of Iceland, in a personal union with the King of Denmark. As a fully independent state, Iceland could have joined the League of Nations in 1918, ...
*
Foreign relations of North Korea
*
Iceland–South Korea relations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iceland-North Korea relations
North Korea
Iceland