The annual report of the Independent Sanctions Monitors was submitted Friday evening to the North Korea Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.
“Although no nuclear tests or launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) have been reported, the DPRK has continued to develop its nuclear fissile material production capability,” the experts wrote.
North Korea is officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The United Nations Security Council has long prohibited it from carrying out nuclear tests and firing ballistic missiles.
“Maintenance and development of the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic infrastructure continued, and the DPRK continued to seek overseas equipment, technologies and know-how for these programs, including through computer and joint scientific research,” the report said.
Since 2006, North Korea has been subject to UN sanctions, which the Security Council has tightened over the years to target funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Sanctions monitors were compelled to note a “marked acceleration” of missile tests by Pyongyang.
The United States and other countries said Friday at https://www.reuters.com/world/china/want-north-korea-breakthrough-china-tells-us-show-flexibility-2022-02-04 North Korea fired nine ballistic missiles in January, adding that it was the highest number of launches in a single month in the history of the country’s weapons of mass destruction and missile programs.
“The DPRK has demonstrated increased rapid deployment capabilities, high mobility (including at sea) and improved resilience of its missile forces,” the sanctions monitors said.
North Korea’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CYBER ATTACKS, ILLICIT TRADE
The observers said that “cyberattacks, especially on cryptocurrency assets, remain an important source of revenue” for North Korea and that they had received reports that North Korean hackers continued to target institutions. financial institutions, cryptocurrency companies and stock exchanges.
“According to one member state, DPRK cyber actors stole more than $50 million between 2020 and mid-2021 from at least three cryptocurrency exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia,” the report said.
Observers also cited a report published last month by cybersecurity firm Chainalysis that North Korea launched at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges that mined nearly $400 million in digital assets across the country. last year.
In 2019, UN sanctions monitors reported that North Korea had generated an estimated $2 billion for its weapons of mass destruction programs using widespread and increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
The latest report says North Korea’s strict blockade in response to the COVID-19 pandemic means “illicit trade, including in luxury goods, has largely ceased.”
Over the years, the UN Security Council has banned North Korean exports, including coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and capped imports of crude oil and related products. refined oil tankers.
“Although maritime coal exports from the DPRK increased in the second half of 2021, they remained at relatively low levels,” the observers said.
“The amount of illicit imports of refined oil increased sharply during the same period, but at a much lower level than in previous years,” the report said. “Direct deliveries by non-North Korean tankers to the DPRK have ceased, likely in response to COVID-19 measures: instead, only North Korean tankers delivered oil.”
North Korea’s humanitarian situation “continues to worsen”, according to the report. Observers said this was likely due to the COVID-19 blockade, but due to lack of information from North Korea, it was difficult to determine the extent to which UN sanctions were unintentionally harming civilians.