A Visit to North Korea’s Arms Factories
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Friday, March 29, 2024
Burma

SLIDE SHOW

A Visit to North Korea’s Arms Factories


By THE IRRAWADDY Friday, June 26, 2009


North Korea’s Chief of General Staff Gen Kim Gyok-sik (right) welcomes Gen Shwe Mann at the Defense Ministry in Pyongyang.
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The Burmese junta’s No 3, Gen Thura Shwe Mann, made a secret, seven day visit to North Korea last November, apparently with a shopping list for arms and sophisticated weapons systems.

Slide Show (View)
Shwe Mann, chief of staff of the army, navy and air force, and the coordinator of Special Operations, was shown by his North Korean hosts around arms industry factories and defense installations. He and his 17-member high-level delegation were also taken to Myohyang, where secret tunnels have been built into the mountains to store and shield jet aircraft, missiles, tanks and nuclear and chemical weapons.

Photographs of the visit have meanwhile reached The Irrawaddy and give rarely seen evidence of the range of North Korea’s armaments industry.

Related Story: Asia’s ‘Axis of Evil’ Flexes Its Muscles http://www2.irrawaddy.com/article.php?art_id=16168

COMMENTS (3)
 
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KKK Wrote:
30/06/2009
Evil doers can only make friends with evil doers. No surprise!

maungnaylin [California] Wrote:
27/06/2009
What matter what the Burmese government did, please do not forget the Burmese people who are suffering in their country.

No matter for what reasons, they buy the most up-to-date weapons from North Korea.

Please do care about the people who live in Burma.


planB Wrote:
27/06/2009
It takes decades of sanctions for N Korea to become the N Korea that we know.
An atheist, paranoid regime which, because of its geographic location, is able to isolate, brain ash, and mold the society within to its present form. Through sheer conniving and manipulation, they manage to make their otherwise insignificant geopolitical presence count, ie by acquiring nukes. KJI knows well that having nukes will get the attention of everybody.
Equating SPDC-controlled Burma to eventually becoming like N Korea is at best over- simplification, at worst justifying the continuing situation. Burma has endured sanctions but remains unchanged in every respect.
No redemptive value whatsoever in this article.
At present, unlike Singapore and Asean, the EU and the West are not vested in any important economic activities that the SPDC rely on.
Tell me, then, how do you think SPDC will respond to this vilifying article?
Engagement/Dialogue:
Seek common ground!
Stop relentless vilification by innuendos or otherwise.

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