'North Korea made USD 200mn flouting sanctions'

The UNâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088report said North Korea 'continued to export almost all the commodities prohibited in the UNSC resolutions'. Pic/AFP

North Korea is flouting UN sanctions by exporting coal, iron, steel and other commodities banned under UN sanctions, earning nearly USD 200 million in revenue last year, a UN report said yesterday. A UN panel of experts also found evidence of North Korea's ongoing military cooperation with Syria to develop its ballistic missile and chemical weapons programmes, and with Myanmar. North Korea "continued to export almost all the commodities prohibited in the resolutions, generating nearly $200 million in revenue between January and September 2017," said the report.

Coal shipments were delivered to China, Malaysia, South Korea, Russia and Vietnam by ship using "a combination of multiple evasion techniques, routes and deceptive tactics," it said. The Security Council last year adopted a series of resolutions to tighten and expand exports bans aimed at cutting off revenue to North Korea's military programmes.

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