An article in Defense News examines the possibility that the North Koreans may have diverted oil aid for military purposes.
South Korean and U.S. Intelligence authorities are analyzing the background of the “sharp increase” in North Korea’s military maneuvers involving armored vehicles and fighter jets in recent months, a report said Feb. 10.
The increased military maneuvers by the North arouse suspicions the communist state may have diverted oil aid provided by participating nations at six-party nuclear talks under a disarmament-for-aid pact signed in Feb. 13, 2007, Yonhap news agency said, quoting unidentified government sources.
“It is noteworthy that North Korea’s armored units have sharply increased their winter exercises,” a source said. “Intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States have been closely monitoring the moves.”
The North’s armored units focused on field artillery training in previous years, but they have been conducting both artillery and tank maneuvering drills, reflecting the regime’s “improving” oil supply conditions, said the source.
It is also found that North Korea’s air force has been increasing its training flights during the ongoing winter military drill that began December, a military source told Defense News.
The move is in contrast to reports last September that the North was forced to ground a fleet of Soviet-era military planes due to the high oil price.
Well, it seems that the North Koreans are putting the oil to good use.
7 Comments
Is it necessary to mount an investigation? It’s fairly common knowledge that the North Korean army receive a considerable amount of the aid. After NK generals have taken their cut (think of it as a bribe to ensure they don’t mount a coup against KJI), whatever is left is used to replenish the stockpiles.
…it’s safe to say that the soldiers would revolt otherwise.
I’m not an expert on such things, but it is my understanding that the stuff we are sending to them is fuel oil rather than gas or aviation fuel.
Of course, our sending fuel oil for free means that the Norks can spend the money that they would of spent on fuel oil for other things (such as aviation fuel), so we would indirectly be contributing to the North Korean military.
Diesel fuel is a form of fuel oil, which is what the tanks and armored vehicles are using;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_oil
Wasn’t that the deal that the North give up its nuclear ambitions for oil? Was there a condition that the North could not use the oil for its military? Wouldn’t it be natural for them to compensate for there lose of nuclear capability by improving the readiness of their conventional forces?
Anyway, I do not follow this issue and do not know what was agreed on, but someone has got to be pretty naive to think the North would not use, at least, some of the oil for its military.
I understand heavy oil to be close to sludge and not widely used in modern countries — so much so that it’s been hard to acquire in time to deliver to NK. That said, North Korea has found ways to run vehicles on firewood and charcoal.
Or, they could use cattle power for their tanks.
http://bemil.chosun.com/brd/vi.....;num=80873
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