By Steven Dobbs
Staff Writer
North Korea continues to violate U.N. sanctions by trying to ship weapons to Syria and Myanmar and illegally importing luxury goods, according to a United Nations report. There were no violations involving nuclear, chemical or biological weapons or ballistic missiles were mentioned in the 74-page report published Friday.
The report also said new KN-08 ballistic missiles seen during an April military parade celebrating the centenary of founder Kim Il Sung’s birth could be fake. The missiles were carried by a new, larger transporter that the U.N. is currently investigating.
The report found “sufficient evidence” that North Korea continues to defy measures in the resolutions, citing “elaborate techniques” used in several interceptions of banned goods.
A diplomat at North Korea’s UN mission, who would not give his name, disagreed with the findings.
“In principle, we don’t recognize the Panel of Experts, because we reject the resolution it was founded on and have never acknowledged the group’s reports,” he said.
The report cited several cases of attempted shipments of arms-related material to Syria and Myanmar, including a French report about the Nov. 2010 interception of a shipment containing brass discs and copper rods used to manufacture artillery munitions and aluminum alloy tubes useable for making rockets.
A shipment headed for Syria seized in 2007 was transshipped through Dalian, China, and Port Kelang, Malaysia. It contained electrical and thermal switches and metallic alloys.
Illegally imported luxury goods included tobacco, bottles of sake, second-hand pianos and several second-hand Mercedes Benz cars, the report said. Several shipments originated in Japan and reached North Korea via Dalian, China, according to Japan.
A spokesman for the U.N. China mission had no comment.
Some content from the AP.
Related articles
- UN report: NKorea violating sanctions (dailystar.com.lb)
- UN report: NKorea violating sanctions (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
