Pyongyang appears to be distancing itself from long-time partner Iran and carefully managing its public messaging to preserve the possibility of a new relationship with the US after the Iran conflict, South Korean lawmakers said, citing the spy agency.
Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said North Korea had not sent weapons or supplies so far to Iran since the conflict started, and did not issue public condolences upon the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said lawmaker Park Sun-won who attended a closed-door briefing held by the NIS yesterday.
Pyongyang also sent no congratulatory message when Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was selected as the new supreme leader, Park said, citing the NIS.
While China and Russia had frequently issued statements on the conflict, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry had only issued two toned-down statements so far, consistent, the NIS said, with North Korea’s recent tendency to avoid direct criticism of US President Donald Trump.
The NIS assessed this restraint as preparation to secure new diplomatic space after an anticipated May summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump, the lawmaker said.
North Korea was also facing significant economic strain related to the Middle East crisis, with disruptions to the procurement of industrial supplies, rising prices and a surging exchange rate, the NIS said.
In February, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared to leave an opening for talks with Washington, saying there was no reason the countries “cannot get along well”, if the United States recognised its status as a nuclear state and withdrew its hostile policy.
The NIS assessed Kim had made the remarks in his own voice as a deliberate signal, aimed at keeping relations with Trump in good standing and positioning Pyongyang for a new diplomatic chapter once the conflict subsides, Park said. — Reuters
