SEOUL, April 6 (Reuters) – North Korea appears to be distancing itself from long-time partner Iran and carefully managing its public information to preserve the possibility of a new relationship with the United States after a war with Iran, South Korean lawmakers said on Monday, citing the intelligence agency.
North Korea has not shipped weapons or supplies to Iran since the conflict broke out on February 28, nor has it expressed public condolences for the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike, said Park Sun-won, a member of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in Seoul who attended a closed-door briefing.
Pyongyang also did not send any message of congratulations when Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei was elected as the new supreme leader, Parker said, citing the National Intelligence Service.
The National Intelligence Service said that while China and Russia have issued frequent statements on the conflict, North Korea’s foreign ministry has issued only two mild statements so far, consistent with its recent tendency to avoid direct criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The lawmaker said the National Intelligence Service assessed such restrictions in preparation for securing new diplomatic space after an expected summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump in May.
The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that North Korea is also facing severe economic stress related to the crisis in the Middle East, with disruptions in purchasing industrial supplies, rising prices and a soaring exchange rate.
North Korea is also trying to secure oil supplies from Russia, the National Intelligence Service said.
At North Korea’s 9th Workers’ Party Congress in late February, Kim Jong Un appeared to leave room for talks with Washington, saying there was no reason the two countries “couldn’t live in harmony” if the United States recognized North Korea’s status as a nuclear power and rolled back its hostile policies.
Park said the National Intelligence Service assessed Kim’s comments in his own voice as a deliberate signal aimed at maintaining good relations with Trump and preparing Pyongyang for a new diplomatic chapter after the conflict in the Middle East subsides.
(Reporting by Jack King and Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davis)
