Persistent Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons by Pyongyang Continues to Undermine Global Non-proliferation Regime, Assistant Secretary-General Tells Security Council
‘Participation of North Korean Troops in Operations Conducted within Framework of Russian Aggression in Ukraine’ Directly Impacts European Security, Says Delegate
The persistent pursuit of nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile programmes by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — in violation of Security Council resolutions — continues to undermine the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, a senior United Nations official told the 15-nation organ today.
Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, reported that Pyongyang has continued to conduct ballistic-missile launches, openly display undeclared uranium-enrichment facilities and communicate its intention to further develop its nuclear and ballistic-missile capabilities. “At this critical juncture, it remains as important as ever to continue to highlight the urgent need to reduce nuclear risk, prevent any use of a nuclear weapon and bring about their total elimination,” he stressed.
He then recalled that the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 1874 (2009) supported efforts to monitor the implementation of the resolutions established in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile programmes. While the Council did not renew the Panel’s mandate beyond 30 April 2024, the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) continues to oversee the sanctions regime. “We recall the obligations for all Member States to implement the relevant sanctions measures,” he said.
“The broader security landscape on the Korean Peninsula remains tense,” he went on to say, pointing to heightened military activity, limited avenues for both intra-Korean and regional dialogue, nuclear risks and “growing concerns over the potential for miscalculation”. Recalling that the Secretary-General has consistently underscored that sustainable peace and denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula “must be anchored in dialogue and diplomacy”, he welcomed “any efforts” towards this end. He also called on Pyongyang to facilitate the return of the UN country team to “strengthen support for its people and advance the 2030 Agenda [for Sustainable Development]”.
Next, James Byrne, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the non-profit Open Source Centre, said that his team has conducted years of comprehensive investigations into Pyongyang’s sanctions-evasion activities. “A number of our recent reports have been published, focusing on the North Korean movement of munitions,” he stated. And a further report, released today, details another persistent and concerning pattern of sanctions violations. “Since October 2024, we have tracked a number of [vessels] engaged in the lifting and moving of North Korean coal and iron ore from their ports to other ports in countries abroad — including China,” he said.
“The vessels are called the ARMANI, CARTIER, CASIO, SOPHIA, YI LI 1 and the AN YU,” Mr. Byrne continued, sharing images of the named vessels loading coal. Further, he said that these vessels have engaged in “sophisticated spoofing” techniques, describing a process by which they transmit as if they are located in other countries despite satellite imagery showing the same vessels loading in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The team correlated such vessels’ automatic-identification-system data with an array of medium- and high-resolution satellite imagery during this investigation, he added.
As the floor opened to Council members, the representative of the United States — recalling the Russian Federation’s veto of the mandate of the 1718 Panel of Experts — welcomed that “independent and well-regard experts from organizations like the Open Source Centre continue to investigate and provide credible reporting on violations and evasions” of relevant Council resolutions. Stating that Moscow is cynically obstructing the Council “to escape reproach for its own violations” — and that Chinese companies are importing coal and iron ore from Pyongyang despite the sanctions regime — she underscored: “The Council needs to address these egregious violations.”
Other Council members also pointed to the information vacuum resulting from the veto of the Panel’s mandate. “Well over a year has passed since Russia’s veto prevented the mandate renewal of the [Panel] — so, for over a year, the Council has had no tool for independent and professional monitoring of sanctions implementation,” Slovenia’s delegate said. Sierra Leone’s representative, spotlighting the Panel’s indispensable role, observed: “Its reports, recommendations and tracking of violations contributed to upholding the global non-proliferation framework.”
The representative of Panama, similarly, said that the veto of the Panel’s mandate “has negatively affected the technical capacity and independent monitoring of the [1718] Committee”. Citing the Panel’s final report, he noted “worrying advances in the military capabilities of the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]” — including the development of tactical nuclear weapons, ballistic-missile submarines and systematic maritime evasion of Council sanctions. As the technology used by Pyongyang for such evasion grows in sophistication, it is imperative to strengthen monitoring capabilities, he stressed.
The United Kingdom’s representative, too, spotlighted to “expertise gap” left by Moscow’s decision to veto the renewal of the Panel’s mandate. “It is obvious that Russia’s objective was to clear the path for the expansion of their military relationship with the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea],” he underscored. Noting the flow of munitions from Pyongyang to Moscow and both countries’ recent, public flaunting of their decision to use the former’s troops as “cannon fodder”, he added: “We cannot allow this brazen disregard towards UN sanctions to become normalized.”
France’s representative also noted the recent recognition by Pyongyang and Moscow of “the participation of North Korean troops in operations conducted within the framework of Russian aggression in Ukraine”. This has direct consequences for European security, he stressed. Building on that, Denmark’s representative underscored that these flagrant sanctions violations are “absolutely not” just a concern for Europe or Pyongyang’s neighbours. In that context, she asked: “Given North Korea’s and Russia’s willingness to ignore UN sanctions, how long until we see North Korean weapons — or troops — in other conflicts around the world?”
“North Korean arms and troops have prolonged and intensified the war in Ukraine, while, in return, Russia’s potential military and technological assistance to the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] poses a direct threat to security on the Korean Peninsula,” said the representative of the Republic of Korea. Noting that Pyongyang — emboldened by Moscow’s support — is accelerating the development of both conventional weapons, as well as the largest warship it has ever produced, he observed: “These developments have ushered in a new and alarming phase of security risks.”
However, the representative of the Russian Federation said that the root cause of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula is the increasing military presence of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member States in the region. Additionally, he noted the large military budgets and advanced military equipment possessed by the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea. “This very well-equipped and coordinated alliance is literally trying to corner one independent sovereign State, which then is trying to find solutions to ensure its own security,” he said.
China’s representative also pointed to “certain countries conducting military manoeuvres on the Korean Peninsula”, which has increased tension “so much so that the slightest imprudence may lead to mishaps”. Rejecting the accusations against his country made by the representative of the United States, he urged that country to “take the lead to show goodwill and put its purported commitment to dialogue into action”. Meanwhile, he urged the Council to work to create an atmosphere conducive to the resumption of dialogue.
Along those lines, the representative of Pakistan also called on the Council to “take the lead in finding ways to lower tensions in the region and encourage confidence- and security-building measures”. Guyana’s representative called on all concerned parties to engage in good-faith diplomacy and dialogue, emphasizing that, “with strong political will, progress towards a peaceful and sustainable solution is possible”. Somalia’s representative, meanwhile, expressed support for a “balanced” approach that “addresses legitimate security concerns while creating space for cooperation and dialogue”.
“We call on all parties to prioritize dialogue over confrontation, diplomacy over force and to put the interests of the peoples in the region above any other consideration to achieve stability and prosperity for all peoples,” said Algeria’s representative. He also noted that “the sad reality is that civilians in the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] face enormous challenges and huge difficulties”. The representative of Greece, Council President for May, spoke in his national capacity to concur on that point, calling on Pyongyang to ease any restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid and open its borders to international humanitarian personnel.
For his part, the representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, noting the “ceaseless military build-up” by the United States and its allies, said that such countries’ efforts to “ignite a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula and in the region are reaching the most perilous stage of action”. Underscoring his country’s subsequent right to “maintain and improve strong deterrence”, he added that cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow “entirely conforms” to international law. He added: “It is not for anyone to meddle in.”
Also taking the floor was Japan’s representative, who stressed that the Council has been “rigged” by a permanent member hoping to “veil its unlawful military cooperation with the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]”. Recalling that like-minded countries, including Japan, established the “Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team” in 2024 to fill the gap left by the Panel of Experts, he said that those who violate Council resolutions “must — and will — bear the consequences of their actions”. He added: “As the saying goes, ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’, and our message is clear — malicious deeds will be exposed.”