North Korea's lifelines are under pressure around the world, this time the money channels in Europe. The Wall Street Journal reported a similar story a few days ago, too.
North Korea's only bank in Europe, the Golden Star Bank in Vienna, is being used as a base for North Korean secret services, according to a report by the Austrian authorities.Rudolf Gollia, a spokesman for the Austrian interior ministry, confirmed that the bank was under scrutiny. However, an Austrian interior ministry report, a copy of which has been obtained by The Telegraph, warns that the Golden Star Bank is still being allowed to trade - even though it is clearly a base for North Korean secret service operatives.
The report says: "There are detectable efforts by the North Korean secret services to place its agents in diplomatic and non-diplomatic positions in Austria. The camouflage for these activities is Europe's only established branch of the North Korean state bank, which is located in Vienna, as well as martial arts clubs established around the country."
It added that the North Koreans are "finding it increasingly difficult to raise the finances to fund the further development of weapons of mass destruction, as well as for the modernisation of middle-range missiles, and are looking increasingly to the West for the needed know-how and technical components, which means it is vital for Austria to make sure it keeps a close eye on North Korean representatives".
The report did not define "detectable efforts", but added that the regime in North Korea was "financing itself by selling weapons and military technology to countries in crisis, as well as Third World countries in the Middle and Far East such as Syria, Iran and Libya." Despite its suspicions that the bank is involved in money laundering, sources said the government had not yet secured enough evidence to shut the operation down.
Posted by Alan at July 23, 2003 12:32 AM