Share

French cheese experts snub North Korea

Paris - A French school has turned down the rare chance to train North Koreans in the proud Gallic art of cheese-making.

The head of the Ecole Nationale d'Industrie Latiere, which specialises in the hard mountain cheeses North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is said to favour, told AFP she received a visit from two North Korean officials last month.

The men expressed interest in sending people to the school to train, but Veronique Drouet said a tie-up with the reclusive Stalinist state was "not part of our strategy".

"I imagine they thought they had found a school, and that the had no doubt that it would work out," Drouet told AFP on Tuesday.

"We are a school that operates on a human scale, we can't take ourselves off to all four corners of the world."

Press reports had earlier indicated the school, a branch of the national dairy school near the eastern French city of Besancon, had taken on the job, dubbing it "cheese diplomacy".

The Kim family has ruled North Korea for more than six decades with an iron fist and a pervasive personality cult.

Before he took power following the death of his father in 2012, Kim Jong-Un studied in Switzerland, where he reportedly acquired a penchant for Emmental.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.05
-0.8%
Rand - Pound
24.04
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.56
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
-0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.8%
Platinum
899.20
+0.3%
Palladium
999.25
-0.3%
Gold
2,209.51
+0.7%
Silver
24.55
-0.4%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,080
+0.6%
All Share
74,278
+0.5%
Resource 10
56,967
+2.4%
Industrial 25
103,572
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,456
-0.4%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders