North Korea Continues to Sell Weapons Around the World: Report

A United Nations panel concluded that Syria is one of North Korea’s biggest “conduits” for the sale of military equipment and chemical weapons materials throughout the Middle East and Africa, Foreign Policy reports. The panel, which wrote an up upcoming 350-page report, reportedly concluded that North Korea has supplied weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen, along with certain buyers in Libya and Sudan. Bruce Bechtol, a former U.S. military intelligence officer, reportedly saw an earlier version of the panel’s report and told the magazine the country’s missile sales and chemical weapons sales have continued “unabated.” “As far as weapons proliferation goes, I know nothing that has stopped,” Bechtol said. President Trump is currently preparing for a second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un in Hanoi next week. The U.N. report also reportedly found that North Korea continues to engage in cyberwarfare and continues to illegally import and export commodities like oil, weapons, and coal. The State Department reportedly did not respond to Foreign Policy’s request for comment.