North Korea Continues Weapons Export Despite UN Sanctions
North Korea has continued exporting weapons, mostly to Iran and Syria, despite a series of U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed on the reclusive country, a media report said late Wednesday. The news comes amid Pyongyang's continuous violation of the nuclear weapons program.
According to studies, conducted by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Kim Jong Un's regime continues to violate U.N. sanctions and export small-sized weapons and traditional weapon technologies to six or seven countries.
Apart from Iran and Syria, which are believed to be the regular importers of Pyongyang's weapons, Palestinian group Hamas likely purchased anti-tank missiles from the regime. Transportation of the weapons is believed to have been carried out through Sudan or Egypt, SIPRI researcher Peter Wezeman said in an emailed statement to the Voice of America.
Despite being at the receiving end of tough U.N. sanctions, North Korea has continued to stoke tensions with the West and its southern neighbor with its missile launches and efforts to bolster its nuclear program. Pyongyang's most recent intermediate-range ballistic missile test raised concerns over the isolated nation's nuclear capabilities.
Earlier this month, North Korea said that the Pukguksong-2 missile — the first missile test since U.S. President Donald Trump took office — is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
While Trump has not mentioned about any response to counter Pyongyang's threats, he vowed to "deal with" North Korea and called it "a big, big problem."
Russia, China, South Korea and Japan have all voiced their disapproval of North Korea's nuclear advancement, calling for tough actions to be taken against it.
Last year, Pyongyang conducted two nuclear tests and launched 24 ballistic missiles and long-range rockets, resulting in tough sanctions against the country.
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