The little dictatorship that caused so much diplomatic headbreak bought, among other things, 1,000 Volvo cars of the model 144 in the 1970s, as well as doing a number of business with Swedish industrial companies.
Today, North Korea's debt to Sweden amounts to $ 330 million with interest included, according to the Export Credit Committee (EKN), writes Dagens Industri.
"It's exceptional," says Carina Kampe, press officer on EKN, about the debt - but adds that North Korea is an exception; Most countries are good at paying off their debts.
In May 2017, the regime of North Korea finally commented, 40 years after the deal took place.
"I think that if we have closer cooperation with each other in the economic and cultural areas, then the problems must be able to solve in the future," said Pak Yuk Sik, Head of Scandinavian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to SVT.
The Volvo cars are still in use and used as a taxi in Pyongyang.