Finance

Finance

North Korean commerce minister dies in helicopter crash

16 February 2012 12:03 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA-Economics. Kim Bong Cheol, North Koreaâ€™s minister of commerce has died, along with four other people, in a helicopter crash.

An inside source revealed the news earlier today: â€œOn the 14th a helicopter carrying special holiday gifts to Sundo for the Generalâ€™s [Kim Jong-Il] birthday crashed, resulting in the deaths of five people including the cabinet commerce minister, commercial director of North Pyongan Province and cabinet officials.â€

It continued, â€œAs the helicopter was landing its tail hit a rock and it crashed. The pilot and television film crew managed to escape but Minister Kim Bong Cheol could not escape and died when the helicopter exploded.â€

â€œThe Central Party has said that it will hold official funeral services for them today or tomorrow as persons who died in the line of duty, but it is not clear yet. They might delay that to avoid ruining the festive atmosphereâ€.

The small island of Sundo is located 40km north of the larger Taehwa Island, part of Cheolsan County in North Pyongan Province, only a short distance from China.