FINAL UN REPORT ON N. KOREA SANCTION VIOLATIONS

This is a very comprehensive report detailing everything from the north's nuclear and missile program to its illicit activities and how it gets around sanctions.

If I were planning a comprehensive global campaign against north Korea's global illicit activities network, this document would contribute to the targeting process (my apologies to the UN who would probably not be pleased to read that).

The entire report can be downloaded here:  http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2014/147&referer=/english/&Lang=E

Summary 

 There have been no signs that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 

intends to respond to the Security Council’s calls to abandon its nuclear, ballistic 

missile and other weapons of mass destruction programmes. On the contrary, it is 

persisting with its arms trade and other prohibited activities in defiance of Security 

Council resolutions, while activities related to its nuclear and ballistic missile 

programmes continue. 

 At the present time, the Panel does not see new measures as necessary in order 

to further slow the prohibited programmes of the Democratic People’s Republic of 

Korea, to dissuade it from engaging in proliferation activities or to halt its trade in 

arms and related materiel. Rather, the Panel believes that Member States already 

have at their disposal adequate tools. 

 The example of Panama with the Chong Chon Gang shows that determined 

action can thwart prohibited activities on the basis of existing measures. 

Nonetheless, the Panel strongly believes that overall implementation of existing 

sanctions should be significantly improved. In the present and prior reports to the 

Security Council, the Panel has made recommendations to help address identified 

shortcomings. 

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea presents a stiff challenge to 

Member States. It is experienced in actions it takes to evade sanctions. From the 

incidents analysed in the period under review, the Panel has found that it makes 

increasing use of multiple and tiered circumvention techniques. Access to the Chong 

Chon Gang provided the Panel with an unrivalled insight into some of the ways used 

to circumvent sanctions. This incident is also a reminder to Member States that, 

besides trade in arms and related materiel, the Democratic People’s Republic of 

Korea is forbidden to provide services or assistance on the manufacture, maintenance 

or use of arms. 

 Other incidents show that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remains 

dependent on foreign procurement for certain items, especially some that figure in 

nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. In particular, it lacks sufficient domestic 

precision machine tool manufacturing capability and it purchases off-the-shelf items 

for its ballistic missile-related programmes. The Panel also assesses that it will likely 

seek out foreign suppliers for components it will need to fabricate fuel rods for its 

reactors. 

 A study commissioned by the Panel provided valuable insights into its overseas 

commercial presence, part of which is utilized to find alternative and willing 

suppliers and acquire technology and products it needs for prohibited programmes. 

The study also shows that individuals and entities operating abroad, particularly 

those it identified as working in the shipping industry, could be viewed as belonging 

to interconnected networks, useful in the conduct of legitimate and illicit trade.