[Courtesy of Unification Ministry]
South Korea's spy agency said Wednesday that North Korea has shut down or suspended operations at some 20 state-controlled restaurants abroad as international sanctions chased away customers and aggravated their financial woes.
North Korean restaurants abroad are experiencing business difficulty due to a sudden fall in the number of quests, leading to the closure or suspension of about 20 places in countries such as China and the United Arab Emirates, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a report to a closed session of parliament's intelligence committee.
The NIS report proved that Pyongyang's financial woes have been aggravated by strict sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council in March against the isolated, cash-strapped country in retaliation for nuclear and ballistic missile tests, South Korean ruling and opposition party lawmakers who took part in the session told a press briefing.
In early April, 13 North Koreans defected to South Korea after deserting their restaurant in China. Pyongyang has accused Seoul of abducting them against their will. Before coming to Seoul, the defectors had been under strong pressure from Pyongyang to transmit more money to their homeland, South Korean officials said earlier.
North Korean restaurants abroad have served as one of Pyongyang's important sources of hard currency. South Korean government data showed there are about 130 North Korean restaurants operating in a dozen countries. Pyongyang operates dozens of restaurants in China alone.
Western intelligence officials say North Korea's global network of restaurants often engage in covert espionage activities or have been linked to money laundering cases.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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