A dozen Iranian officials traveled to North Korea to observe the
country's rocket launch, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported
Monday, quoting a diplomatic source.
The much hyped long-range rocket launch ended in failure
on Friday. According to US and South Korean officials the rocket
crashed into the sea a few minutes after send-off. Pyongyang had defied
international pressure from the United States, the United Nations and
others to push ahead with the launch timed to celebrate the 100th
birthday of Kim Il-sung, the deceased founder of the state, and to
coincide with the ascent to power of his grandson Kim Jong-un.
The
diplomatic source told Yonhap that the Iranians from the Shahid Hemmat
Industrial Group (SHIG) arrived in North Korea a couple of weeks
earlier, "undoubtedly there to observe the missile launch and receive
test data," from the country.
The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the veracity of this report.
According to the news agency, South Korean government officials did not confirm or deny the claims.
SHIB
officials have been subject to US sanctions in the past, under
accusations that they were helping Iran develop nuclear weapons.
Reuters contributed to this report