North Korean diplomat expelled, asked to leave by Monday

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked North Korean Mission's First Secretary Han Son Ik to leave the country by Monday, a diplomatic source told Dhaka Tribune. Customs officials seized a large batch of tobacco and electronic products, worth Tk3.5 crore, from the Kamalapur Inland Container Depot (ICD) last month.The North Korean diplomat purportedly brought the items without due process. The National Board of Revenue wrote to Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque to take action against the diplomat for importing goods illegally. In March last year, Bangladesh expelled another North Korean diplomat after he was caught smuggling $1.4 million worth of gold. Customs officials found Son Young Nam, then first secretary of the embassy, trying to smuggle 27kg of gold into Bangladesh. North Korea has been using its embassies and various front companies to try and circumvent United Nations trade sanctions for sometime now.