Cable, Cabinet to the Swedish Embassy, London, 'For Bothorp from the Press Office, re: Illegal Activities at the Embassy of North Korea in Autumn 1976'

[…]

Cabinet, Stockholm, 1979-02-01

[To] Swedish [Embassy], London

99. For [Helena] Bothorp from the Press Office, re: Illegal Activities at the Embassy of North Korea in Autumn 1976

VI GAV 76-10-22 Following Press Release

CIT [sic]

[Remainder of cable originally in English] Illegal Activities at the North Korean Embassy

1. On October 18, the National Police Board submitted a preliminary report to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs concerning the suspected illegal sale of spirits and tobacco as well as handling of narcotics by personnel at the Stockholm Embassy of the People’s Democratic Republic of Corea [sic]. In the days following, additional information was received which confirmed that a number of the staff of the embassy had taken part in these activities. Four Swedish citizens have been arrested and have confessed that they have purchased considerable quantities of spirits and cigarettes from the Embassy of the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea.

2. On several occasions during the last few days, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has drawn the attention of the North Korean authorities to the strong grounds for suspecting several of the staff of the embassy for illegal operations. The Ministry has also stressed the probably inevitable consequences this would have for the status in Sweden of the embassy officials concerned.

3. Ambassador Kil Jae Gyong [Gil Jae-gyeong] left Sweden on October 21. Two embassy officials have departed today. Some members of embassy staff left Sweden earlier.

4. The Swedish Government takes a serious view of this incident. It is the hope of the Government, however, that the otherwise normal relations existing between Sweden and the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea will remain undisturbed.

Slutcit [sic]

Cabinet

Cabinet Stockholm KL. 16.05