Telegram to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Royal Danish Embassy in Helsinki, 'Finnish Press Coverage of the Expulsion of North Korean Diplomats'

Royal Danish Embassy in Helsinki

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Department for Protocol

Journal no.: 5.F.2.Korea

22. October 1976

No. 560

Finnish press coverage of the expulsion of North Korean diplomats

21.10.76

The Finnish government’s decision to expel four of the five North Korean diplomats has received broad coverage in the Finnish press. The expulsion of diplomats from Denmark last week has also been covered extensively.

Editorials have been speculating about the causes behind the North Korean activities in the Nordic countries, and it has been suggested that the activities have been organised by the central government. The newspapers have discussed this in relation to the poor state of the North Korean economy. A part of this story is the country’s high level of foreign debt , held by Finland and several other countries. The rapid expansion of the North Korean foreign service over the last few years may also be an underlying cause. It is not unlikely that profits from the illegal transactions have been financing the Embassies and their extensive propaganda activities.

“Helsingin Sanomat” (independent) describes the North Korean diplomats behaviour as a grave breach of norms which has the potential to complicate diplomatic cooperation. “Hufvudstadsbladet” criticizes the Finnish foreign minister for not explaining to the public the reason behind the expulsion, as was done in eg. Denmark. In other words, the Finnish public does not know whether narcotics have also been involved in Finland. This would of course be a particularly serious offense to the receiving country.

P.A.V.

Nils Jæger