North Korea’s artistic charm offensive in Africa

KCNA quoted Angolan officials as saying that “Angola, as a friend who has stood in the same trench with the DPRK in the joint struggle, expresses full support for the Korean people in their efforts to defend the sovereignty of the country and achieve its peaceful reunification”.

Last September, a South Korean trade mission was also received by Ms Braganca.

Ho’s delegation has already made diplomatic overtures to Ethiopia this year, and in April last year a team led by Sin Hong Chol, the vice-minister of foreign affairs, visited Algeria and Mauritania.

North Korea’s main international construction arm is the contractor Mansudae Overseas Projects (MOP). This entity undertakes conventional construction schemes, but specialises in public artworks such as statues and monuments.

The Three Chiefs statue in Botswana (US Army)

It is the international division of the Mansudae Art Studio. The studio employs around 4,000 workers and is sometimes referred to as the “world’s biggest art factory”.

MOP’s most famous commission was the recreation of Frankfurt’s art nouveau Fairy Tale Fountain – a metal sculpture that was melted down in the Second World War and had to be recreated from photographs, however it has also undertaken a number of monumental works across Africa.

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