North Korea Sends Economic Delegation to Iran Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

North Korean state media reported on Wednesday that the Communist tyranny dispatched an economic delegation to Iran, an unusually public visit that could signal tighter cooperation between the two regimes or could be a North Korean effort to make Western governments nervous by simulating a deeper Pyongyang-Tehran partnership.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency noted that the last public visit to Iran by a Pyongyang official was in 2019 when the vice chair of the rubber-stamp North Korean legislature took a trip to Tehran.

North Korean media claimed a full delegation was headed for Iran this time, led by External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho. Yun visited Russia in April. North Korean media portray him as a key player in Russian relations.

Yonhap thought the makeup of this delegation suggested North Korea was looking to “deepen military ties with Iran amid Russia’s war with Ukraine,” which both of the lesser tyrannies support by selling weapons to Moscow. Moscow’s payment plan reportedly includes helping both North Korea and Iran develop more advanced weapons.

“Following Iran's recent launch of more than 300 drones and missiles toward Israel, speculation has arisen that North Korean parts or military technology could have been used for Iran's missile salvo against Israel,” Yonhap added.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) warned on April 17 that North Korean technology may have been used in the swarm of ballistic missiles Iran launched against Israel.

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The warning noted that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders have admitted to receiving missiles from North Korea in the past. However, they claimed their indigenous technology has advanced since then and that they no longer need North Korea’s assistance. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessed in 2019 that at least two Iranian missile designs are strongly based on North Korean weapons.

In addition to military cooperation, North Korea may view Iran as a means of breaking from international isolation. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has huddled with top Chinese and Russian officials over the past few months, including a rare trip beyond North Korea’s borders to meet with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. Iran would be a logical next step in Kim’s bid to change North Korea’s reclusive image.

Korea Institute for National Unification senior analyst Hong Min told AFP on Tuesday that North Korea could seek “rewards such as oil and other financial assistance” from Iran in exchange for missile technology.

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