UN Panel Inventories North Korean Sanction Dodges

According to a report by the United Nations on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the country's nuclear weapons program has accelerated despite no nuclear tests during the reporting period.

The Report by the Panel of Experts is prepared annually for the Security Council to document compliance with the body's resolutions.

Following the introduction of a new law that focuses on tactical nuclear capability, a new first-use doctrine, and the "irreversible nature" of the country's nuclear status, the DPRK launched 73 ballistic missiles and missiles combining ballistic and guidance technologies in 2022, including eight intercontinental ballistic missiles, openly breaching UN sanctions

Academic Sanctions

The report revealed violations of Security Council resolutions by a DPRK researcher who graduated from a Ph.D. course in Sweden and was employed as a laboratory technician and postdoctoral researcher in another research institute in Sweden. German media reported co-authorship of by DPRK academics and academics at the Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy in Germany since 2017, which could have possible military applications. The Max Born Institute denies any such potential.

Maritime Ruses

The report highlights the DPRK's acceleration of acquiring vessels, mainly cargo ships, and receiving illicit refined petroleum products through "direct delivery" tankers.

Illicit ship-to-ship imports of cargo in DPRK territorial waters and prohibited ship-to-ship exports of DPRK coal continued, with reports suggesting that some cargo ships may be outfitted illegally to transport oil products.

Due to the complex nature of vessel sale and acquisition in the region, it is challenging to detect the sale of ships to the DPRK, and the report recommends best practices and due diligence during the sale of vessels to prevent sanctions evasion.

Cyber & Arms Sales

The report also details cyber activities attributed to Reconnaissance General Bureau actors, who used increasingly sophisticated cybertechniques to gain access to digital networks involved in cyberfinance and steal information of potential value, including to its weapons programs. 

The Panel investigated the export of DPRK military communications equipment and began investigating reports of ammunition export. Investigations continue into allegations of infantry rockets being delivered by train from the DPRK to the Russian Federation.

The humanitarian situation in the country continues to deteriorate, and UN sanctions have had an unintended effect. The report notes limited deliveries of humanitarian aid and the introduction of temporary and ad hoc means of funds transfer for UN humanitarian activities in the DPRK.

[complete report]