It's easy to miss the headquarters of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), which was run by North Koreans from a modest house in the outskirts of Vienna, a long-standing spy.
It is the oldest global institution in martial arts, and it claims to have more than 100,000 members in “at least 100 countries.”
But court documents seen by AFP show that Austria has been trying to kick out Ri Yong Son for four years, who suspects that it violates UN sanctions by remitting foreign currencies to Pyongyang.
In a rare interview, an ITF official denied “any misconduct” and told AFP that “no contact with North Korea's state.”
Vienna – home to several international organizations, including the Agency, which has been blocked from inspecting North Korea's nuclear arsenal – has tried to cautiously revoke RI's work permit since March 2020, claiming that he “could damage Austria's reputation.”
However, according to AFP's July court decision, the judge did not believe RI was involved in the hidden financing, and he heard he received a relatively modest amount of €5,256 ($5,702) per month.
ITF officials spoke with AFP at a Vienna café on anonymity, insisting that “United Nations sanctions have not been avoided.” He said it was just organizing the competition and sending a Taekwondo master's certificate to teachers who follow the Korean style.
– “acting” –
However, the dissident Jihyun Park – spoke to Pyongyang after fleeing to the UK. – ITF President “is not an athlete.”
“He, his wife and son are agents” and they provide funds to Pyongyang.
According to the ITF, Austria has not signed an autograph with another North Korean who will join the Vienna office when RI remains in Vienna.
The confederacy was established in 1966 by South Korean general Choi Hong-Hi, who later defected to the north. But it was not recognized by the International Olympic Committee, which chose its upstart South Korean rival, World Taekwondo (WT).
Parker said that when North Korea deepens its cooperation with Moscow, Austria will force the ITF to force the ITF to become more “urgent”.
According to Western intelligence agencies, Pyongyang has been sending thousands of troops to fight Christians, a defense agreement between the two countries that came into effect in December and provided ammunition for Moscow.
– Printing passport –
According to its supervisor Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, North Korea is a “significant” country for Austrian intelligence services.
But spy expert Siegfried Beer warned that nine million neutral EU members do not have the ability to seriously investigate the secret activities.
Beer said: “There is a lack of staff and expertise, not to mention language skills.
North Korea has long had deep Austrian ties.
In 2010, Kim Jong Ryul, a former Pyongyang diplomat in Vienna, revealed that he had purchased weapons and luxury goods from Europe for 20 years, never under investigation, and then defected to Austria in 1994.
Kim Kwang-Sop, brother-in-law of North Korean founder Kim Il-Sung, served as Austria ambassador for 27 years until 2020.
bg/jza/fg/lb
