A former North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang received about $25 million for providing Iran with tunnel technology that he understood was used extensively at underground nuclear facilities near Natanz and Isfahan.
Ryu Hyun-woo, a former acting ambassador at North Korea’s embassy in Kuwait, made the remarks in an interview published this month by the Korea Development Institute, a prominent South Korean think tank.
“North Korea provided Iran with tunnel design and technology in the early 2000s, receiving about $25 million,” Ryu said.
“I understand that North Korean tunnel technology was applied to a considerable extent at underground nuclear facilities in areas such as Natanz and Isfahan,” he added.
Possible transfer to Hezbollah and Hamas
Ryu said reports of direct North Korean links to Hezbollah and Hamas were inaccurate.
“Many media outlets talk about North Korea-Hezbollah and North Korea-Hamas links, but that is not true,” he said.
He said North Korea was unlikely to have directly transferred tunnel expertise to either group, but added: “It cannot be ruled out that Iran transferred tunnel-related technology it received from North Korea to Hezbollah or Hamas.”
Earlier reporting
The comments follow a March report by The Washington Times, which said North Korean entities had supplied Iran with underground construction expertise and missile technology.
The newspaper cited Bruce Bechtol, a former US Marine and political science professor at Angelo State University, as saying North Koreans helped build underground facilities in Iran, including at Isfahan, in the early 2000s.
“Most of Iran’s underground facilities – including Isfahan – were built in the early 2000s by North Koreans,” Bechtol told the newspaper.
Bechtol said North Korea’s support also included missile systems, help with arms-factory construction, specialized components and technical personnel. Iran and North Korea have not publicly confirmed the reported transfers.
