1		North Korea, diplomats, drugs, cigarettes, smugling, Sweden, diplomatic immunity

You know times are hard when diplomats turn to crime to get a few more dollars:

Two North Korean diplomats were arrested in Sweden for smuggling 230,000 packs of Russian cigarettes, Newsis reported Saturday, citing British and Japanese new outlets.

The two claimed diplomatic immunity. Alas for them, diplomatic immunity only applies to the country where they are posted (in this case, Russia). As far as international law is concerned, they are just tourists in Sweden.

A gangster state

Due to North Korea's dire economic straits, diplomats on overseas postings are often expected to cover their own expenses and perhaps make a little extra for Pyongyang. The slow breakdown of the Kim dynasty's authority over the past couple of decades also gives enterprising individuals more opportunities to make a little profit on the side. While it is too early to know if this particular money-making operation was centrally authorized or not, their diplomatic posting would suggest that they were operating under orders from Pyongyang.

North Korea's crimimal enterprises certainly do not stop with cigarettes. A 2003 report from the Haritage Foundation notes that North Korea has been involved with drug smuggling since the 1970s, mostly heroin and methamphetamine. The report also noted Pyongyang's involvement in counerfeiting.

While selling arms is not illegal, Pyonyang's choice of clients is worrisome. They have sold weapons to the likes of Iran, Syria (including assistance in developing a nuclear site), Hezbollah and the Tamil Tigers. Well, I guess we can scratch one client off of Pyongyang's sales list.

If anything, we can expect North Korea's criminal activity to increase in the near future. With UN sanctions and and actions such as the Japanese government's move to limit remittances from ethnic Koreans in Japan to North Korea, sources of funds for the Kim regime are drying up. North Korea's criminal activities will only be limited by Pyongyang's diminishing ability to launder money due to sanctions against banks working with it, and diligence on the part of world police officials.

Time to stake out the consulate?