North Korea flouts UN sanctions by exporting coal and other commodities banned under UN sanctions: UN report

A UN report said, North Korea is flouting UN sanctions by exporting coal, iron, steel and other commodities banned under UN sanctions. 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 programs, and with Myanmar. 

The report said, North Korea continued to export almost all the commodities prohibited in the resolutions, generating nearly 200 million dollars in revenue between January and September 2017. 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. 

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 programs. The United States led the push for tough economic sanctions against North Korea after its sixth nuclear test and a series of ballistic missile launches that indicated the US mainland could soon be within reach of a nuclear strike by Pyongyang.