Sanctions-Busting North Korean Restaurant Closes
The North Korean restaurant known as the Blue Flower which caused controversy as a breach of United Nations sanctions appears to have closed. Photo screenscrab from YouTube channel named 'Traveler J1n'
- By Thang Sinorn
- September 6, 2023 10:53 AM
PHNOM PENH – The North Korean restaurant known as the Blue Flower which caused controversy as a breach of United Nations sanctions appears to have closed.
An attempt to make a reservation by phone on August 27 resulted in a Korean waitress who could speak a little Khmer saying the restaurant was no longer open.
A visit to the restaurant in Khan Tuol Kouk found the surroundings quiet, with trash scattered here and there, suggesting that it had been shuttered for some time. Google Maps marks the restaurant as permanently closed.
The closure comes about four months after a YouTube channel named 'Traveler J1n' published an 11-minute video of the channel owner visiting Cambodia and having lunch there.
Viewed by more than 26,000 people, the video indicates that a dine-in reservation could be made by phone and the restaurant serves lavish dishes and expensive wine originally made in North Korea.
It said the food was served by a beautiful and friendly North Korean waitress who could speak a little Khmer, English and Chinese.
The existence of the North Korean restaurant and workers in Cambodia indicated a clear violation of sanctions, despite the government's strong commitment to implementing the UN resolution imposing them.
UN members are obliged to shut down all businesses operated by North Koreans in their country.
When reached out for comment on the restaurant closure, a spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation did not answer the call.
Seun Sam, a policy analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, applauded the closure.
"As a member of the UN, the Cambodian government has taken the right step by closing North Korean restaurants. This shows that Cambodia is complying with international norms and is committed to upholding the rules-based international order," he said.
In 2017, the UN Security Council approved tougher measures against North Korea, forbidding other countries from granting North Korean workers visas and hosting North Korean businesses. Before 2017, North Korean companies, including restaurants, had operated in many countries, including China, Russia, Kuwait and Qatar.
However, the Cambodian government had denied that it continued to tolerate the operation of North Korean businesses in the country.
In February 2022, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement to refute an “unfounded report” after a North Korean monitoring website accused the country of “abetting Pyongyang's intelligence operations and illegal economic activities”.
In the same statement, while acknowledging that there were some businesses linked to the North Korean regime, the ministry said it had shut down all the DPRK's businesses, including restaurants and museums in the country, with around seven bank accounts in two financial institutions closed since 2017.
Thang Sinorn is a freelance journalist based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She is a fourth-year student majoring in International Relations at the Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia.
