TELEGRAM 066.521 from the Romanian Embassy in Pyongyang to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

TELEGRAM 066.521

To: the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (First Directorate – Liaison; Economic Directorate)

From: the Romanian Embassy in Pyongyang

Date: January 21^st, 1978

Classification: Secret

On January 20^th, 1978, A. Balok, counselor at the Czechoslovak Embassy in Pyongyang, told Victor Nanu that recently, the Czechoslovak Ambassador was invited to [a meeting with] Choe Son-won [sic], the DPRK Minister of External Economic Affairs [ed. note—the Minister of External Economic Affairs in 1978 was Kong Jin-tae while the Minister of Foreign Trade was Kye Eung-tae], who requested [the Ambassador’s] support with getting [the following assistance] from Czechoslovakia:

1. 4 50MW turbo generators, 4 12 MW turbo generators, and 30 3-6 MW turbo generators;
2. Several equipment and tools for the metallurgical plant in Nampo.
3. Technical assistance from the Czechoslovak specialists with the improvement of [Korean] lathes’ production quality.  
4. Equipment and technical assistance with the automation of railway transportation streaming. These matters will be discussed in Prague, in February 1978, during the forthcoming session of the Consultative Intergovernmental Commission on Economic and Technical-Scientific Cooperation between the DPRK and Czechoslovakia.  

A Balok said that in 1973 Czechoslovakia provided North Korea with a loan worth 10 million rubles, and the Koreans only used 3.75 million. The aforementioned technology and equipment would be paid for with the loan money that has not been used yet.

Signed

Dumitru Popa