North Korea missiles - Are North Korea and Cuba boosting ties?

North Korea missiles: Are North Korea and Cuba boosting ties?
North Korea missiles mystery: A boat headed to the North was seized in
Panama this week with Cuban missiles on board.
By Steven Borowiec, Correspondent / July 17, 2013
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

Cuba announced Wednesday that a ship seized in Panama was carrying
"obsolete" Cuban missiles that were on their way for repair in North
Korea, a sign that the two cold war era allies could be taking tangible
steps toward boosting bilateral relations.

Officials in Panama reported that the ship, which was flying under a
North Korean flag, was carrying 529,000 pounds of missile parts hidden
among bags of brown sugar. The ship's captain reportedly attempted
suicide and the 35-member crew violently resisted Panamanian police as
they boarded the ship in Colon City, Panama on Tuesday. Panamanian
authorities detained the crew and have asked that United Nations
investigators inspect the ship.

As two avowedly socialist regimes, North Korea and Cuba have a history
of cooperation. Though Cuba is now making moves toward introducing
market mechanisms to its economy and coming out of isolation somewhat,
North Korea has made no such reforms. The North Korean leadership does
appear, however, interested in further developing partnerships that can
reduce its reliance on China. Analysts say increasing cooperation with
Cuba could be part of the Kim Jong-un regime's strategy of enhancing
partnerships with other countries.

"Because of international sanctions, it's hard for North Korea to
develop new partnerships, so they're more likely to boost ties with
countries they've been friendly with in the past," says Dongguk
University professor Kim Yong-hyun.

Officials from the two countries expressed intentions to increase
cooperation during a visit in late June by Kim Kyok-sik, a high-ranking
North Korean military official.

Cuba and North Korea established diplomatic ties in 1960, but Kookmin
University professor Andrei Lankov told the BBC that economic exchange
between them is "negligible."

In May, retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro published a column in the
Cuban Communist Party's newspaper Granma that stated that North Korea
and Cuba always have and always will be friends. After the December 2011
death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, Cuba flew flags at half-staff
and observed three official days of mourning.

The shipment of the missile parts violates UN Security Council
resolution 1718, which was passed in 2006 after North Korea claimed to
have conducted its first nuclear test. Among other measures meant to
prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons, the resolution
banned the import and export of all weapons, with the exception of small
arms, by the North. According to the resolution, all UN member states,
including Cuba, must not conduct any large weapons deals with North Korea.

In February, the UN further tightened sanctions on North Korea in
response to its third nuclear weapons test. Those sanctions also
strengthened the authority of states to inspect North Korean cargo, in
an effort to cut off routes of supply and funding to North Korea.

"This case could make it be a sign that North Korean ships will now be
more closely inspected, which will make it harder for North Korea to get
the things it needs for its weapons programs," says Koo Bon-hak, a
professor at Hallym University professor.

South Korean government officials are verifying the reports of the
ship's seizure and "closely watching" the situation, reported Yonhap
News Agency.

Source: "North Korea missiles: Are North Korea and Cuba boosting ties? -
CSMonitor.com" -
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2013/0717/North-Korea-missiles-Are-North-Korea-and-Cuba-boosting-ties