Controversies
The Embassy has attracted attention in Swedish media and internationally for a number of controversies related to activities of staff members at the North Korean embassy. All of these incidents are part of public information or political discourse rather than officially being due to convictions.
Smuggling incidents
In the 1970s, Sweden expelled three North Korean diplomats from Stockholm for having detected that the country's embassy officials were engaging in the smuggling of substantial quantities of cigarettes and liquor into Sweden. [4] [5] In 1996, Sweden again expelled North Korean diplomats from Stockholm for a similar reason, when customs officials discovered that a van loaded with substantial quantities of cigarettes belonged to members of the North Korean embassy, thereby expelling them from the country. Cases of liquor, cigarette, and narcotic smugglings took place in Nordic nations during this time. [6] [7]
Alleged sanctions-bust network
A documentary in the year 2020, The Mole: Undercover in North Korea, which was produced in Denmark, raised questions about the North Korean embassy in Sweden suspected of operating in a network trying to circumvent UN sanctions on weaponry and other prohibited goods. The documentary showed footage of meetings involving persons associated with the embassy in discussions about matters concerning illegal weaponry sales, contraband, and the possible use of the embassy as a communication relay in these matters. This raised questions in the Swedish parliament and statements from the country's foreign relations ministry that the matters raised in the documentary were being taken seriously and investigated. [8] The North Korean embassy disputed the allegations and claiming that the documentary was fabricated. [9]
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