21-2-2024 (TOKYO) A North Korean missile, fired into eastern Ukraine by Russia, was found to contain hundreds of electronic components sourced from companies headquartered in Europe, the United States, Japan, China, and other locations, according to findings by Conflict Armament Research, a British research institute.
The revelations highlight North Korea’s ability to acquire parts internationally, bypassing United Nations (UN) sanctions aimed at restricting its ballistic missile and nuclear development programs.
The institute conducted an analysis of debris from a North Korean-made missile recovered in the eastern Ukraine city of Kharkiv on Jan 2. The investigation identified over 290 electronic components displaying the brands of 26 companies based in China, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the US.
Among these components, 75.5% were linked to companies in the United States, 11.9% to German companies, and 3.1% to Japanese companies. Notably, most of the components were manufactured within the last three years, leading the institute to conclude that the missile could not have been assembled before March of the previous year.
The findings underscore North Korea’s ability to establish a resilient acquisition network capable of evading detection, thereby circumventing sanction regimes that have been in place for nearly two decades, according to the institute’s report. The names of the companies involved were not disclosed.
This revelation raises concerns about the effectiveness of current sanctions and the need for enhanced measures to curb North Korea’s illicit procurement of materials for its weapons programs. The global community faces the challenge of tightening control over the supply chain to prevent such circumvention of sanctions and deter North Korea’s pursuit of prohibited weapons development.
