North Korea: UN report shows new alliance with Russia

North Korea, which is largely isolated globally, imported significantly more goods last year and expanded its trade with its new partner Russia. “The total trade volume recorded in 2023 exceeded the volume of 2022, accompanied by the return of a large number of foreign goods, some of which could be classified as luxury items,” said a confidential UN expert report published by the German Press Agency in New York could see. However, the import of such luxury goods is prohibited in the authoritarian country. North Korea largely isolated itself in the wake of the corona pandemic – trade came to an almost complete standstill.

By September alone, imports had risen to $1.4 billion – in the entire year of 2022 they were only $911 million, the report said. By far North Korea’s largest trading partner is China. By the fall, trade with Moscow had also grown to a volume of $28 million – although this does not include sanctioned goods. These include arms deliveries to Russia, which the report also addresses.

North Korea is subject to far-reaching UN sanctions and import bans because of its nuclear program. The report is the first of two annual documents from the expert panel. It was sent to the UN Security Council at the end of last week.

Weapons for Russia, luxury shops and German cars in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia in September and met President Vladimir Putin. Both decided to expand cooperation in “all areas”, and the cooperation between both countries was then significantly intensified. The White House said in October that North Korea had sent Russia more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition for the war in Ukraine.

The UN report also speaks of the containers and possible evidence of their delivery, citing a high-ranking representative of a “member state”: A satellite image already published by the US government is said to show two ships flying the Russian flag, the containers from the North Korean port city Rason was transported to Dunai in Russia. These were then taken by train to a Russian ammunition depot near the Ukrainian border. The UN experts emphasize that they cannot verify what was in the containers.

The report goes on to say that sanctioned goods from abroad are increasingly being found in North Korea. There are department stores in several cities that offer Western luxury products. Notice has also been taken of a “significant number of foreign motor vehicles” in North Korea: “A seemingly new Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS 600 SUV and a Maybach S650 sedan were seen in November and December being driven by Kim Jong Un and high-ranking officials officials were used.” Designer bags and clothing from French brand Dior, among others, were also worn by high-ranking government officials.

Submarine with nuclear warheads and work on nuclear weapons

According to the report, a submarine presented in North Korea in September from which nuclear weapons could theoretically be launched does not pose a threat to other countries in the foreseeable future. It has not yet been tested on the open sea “and its ability to launch a ballistic missile “To launch rockets underwater or above the surface of the water and withstand it remains hypothetical,” it said.

North Korea said it had recently tested strategic cruise missiles several times to expand the country’s nuclear power. These are said to have included newly developed cruise missiles that could be fired from a submarine. The term “strategic” suggests that they are to be equipped with nuclear weapons. North Korea experts assume that Kim would be interested in, among other things, a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia in return for his arms deliveries.

North Korea is continuing to develop its nuclear weapons and has produced nuclear fissile material – even though the last known nuclear test took place in 2017, the report continued. The enormous costs would apparently continue to be financed by hacker attacks on companies related to cryptocurrencies. A total of 58 cyber attacks are being investigated, with which hackers on behalf of Kim Jong Un are said to have stolen around three billion dollars in the past few months.