France |
North Korea |
Relations between France and North Korea are very limited. Till October 2011 France was one of the only two European Union members not to recognise North Korea, the other being Estonia.[1]
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Until 2011 relations between France and North Korea are officially non-existent. France is one of the only two European Union members not to recognise North Korea, the other being Estonia.[2]
France's official position was that it will consider establishing diplomatic relations with the DPRK if and when the latter abandons its nuclear weapons programme and improves its human rights record.[3]
In late 2009, French president Nicholas Sarkozy appointed Socialist politician Jack Lang his special envoy to North Korea, following a similar assignment earlier in the year to Cuba. Lang traveled to Pyongyang on November 9 for a self-described "listening mission" aimed at exploring bilateral ties and discussing the North Korean nuclear program, among other things. Lang briefed American officials including Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and special envoy Sung Kim, as well as ambassadors of countries involved such as Russia, before the assignment was publicly announced. Some critics questioned Lang's qualifications, but Lang said he would be driven by his "intuition" that change was afoot in North Korea.[4]
On December 18, 2009, North Korea consented to the French government's offer of establishing a French Cooperation and Cultural Action Office as a first step for normalizing the relations between the two countries.
On October 2011 it was reported by the french foreign ministry that France is on the verge of opening an office in North Korea to develop cultural ties and to represent French aid groups working in North Korea. The office is to be headed by French diplomat Olivier Vaysset, "given the needs that have been identified in the cultural and humanitarian domains," ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said.[5]
Economic relations are also limited. In 2005, French imports from North Korea were worth €24 million, and French exports to North Korea €6 million.[6]
In 2005, there were officially 54 North Koreans living in France.[7] The only French residents in North Korea are humanitarian workers.[8] France provides humanitarian aid to the DPRK, and allows a small number of North Korean students to study in France every year.[9]
The North Korean film The Schoolgirl's Diary was released in France in 2007.
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