The Irrawaddy News Magazine [Covering Burma and Southeast Asia]

A Visit to North Korea’s Arms Factories

Friday, June 26, 2009

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