North Korea Flouting Nuclear Sanctions, UN Report

North Korean soldiers attend a mass rally in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang on Nov. 29, 2017. (Getty Images)
North Korean soldiers attend a mass rally in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang on Nov. 29, 2017. (Getty Images)
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North Korea Flouting Nuclear Sanctions, UN Report

North Korean soldiers attend a mass rally in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang on Nov. 29, 2017. (Getty Images)
North Korean soldiers attend a mass rally in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang on Nov. 29, 2017. (Getty Images)

North Korea is violating international sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear program by exceeding a cap on petroleum imports and sending its workers overseas, including a former Juventus footballer, the United Nations said.

Pyongyang is subject to a range of restrictions imposed since 2017 that limit its oil imports and ban exports of coal, fish and textiles.

It has nonetheless continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal, analysts say, despite three high-profile meetings between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump.

The UN Security Council on Monday said an annual 500,000 barrel cap on imports of refined petroleum products had been broken in just the first five months of 2020.

A report by the intergovernmental panel said deliveries to the authoritarian state "far exceeded" the ceiling, based on "imagery, data and calculations".

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea and foreign-flagged vessels and their owners continued elaborate evasion practices" to illicitly import oil, UN experts said, using the North's official name.

The report did not say which countries had been exporting to North Korea but shipments also included luxury cars and alcohol.

China and Russia, Pyongyang's key allies, dismissed the findings, saying they were "based on assumptions and estimations".

The UN report said the North "continued to flout Security Council resolutions through illicit maritime exports of coal, although it suspended such exports temporarily between late January and early March 2020".

Negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington over the North's nuclear program are at a standstill over disputes on sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in return.

The report pointed out that professional footballer Han Kwang Song was transferred from Serie A club Juventus to Al-Duhail in Qatar in January in violation of UN resolutions banning North Korean nationals working overseas.

"Although the panel contacted Italy and Qatar on Mr. Han's transfer immediately after the announcement, the transfer has not been cancelled," the UN report said.

The 22-year-forward was paid approximately $607,000 per year by Juventus between 2018 and January 2020, it added.

He will receive more than $5 million over the next five years from his new team under a multi-year contract.

"The panel reiterated to Qatar the relevant resolutions concerning the case," the report said.

The UN sanctions require member states to repatriate North Koreans working overseas, with a deadline to do so passing in December 2019.

But the panel said "only around 40" nations had submitted reports on efforts to send back citizens.



Death Toll in Russian Missile Strike in Central Ukraine Reaches 18

Emergency employees carry the body of a person killed in a residential area by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine April 4, 2025.  REUTERS/Stringer
Emergency employees carry the body of a person killed in a residential area by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
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Death Toll in Russian Missile Strike in Central Ukraine Reaches 18

Emergency employees carry the body of a person killed in a residential area by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine April 4, 2025.  REUTERS/Stringer
Emergency employees carry the body of a person killed in a residential area by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has risen to 18, including nine children, regional governor Serhii Lysak said Saturday.
A further 61 people were injured in Friday’s attack, ranging from a 3-month-old baby to elderly residents. Forty remain hospitalized, including two children in critical condition and 17 in serious condition, The Associated Press reported.
“There can never be forgiveness for this,” said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s defense council. “Eternal memory to the victims.”
Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“The missile struck an area right next to residential buildings — hitting a playground and ordinary streets,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
Local authorities said the strike damaged about 20 apartment buildings, more than 30 vehicles, an educational building and a restaurant.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Friday that it had carried out a high-precision missile strike with a high explosive warhead on a restaurant where a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors was taking place.
The Russian military claimed that the strike killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers and destroyed 20 vehicles. The military’s claims could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian General Staff rejected the claims.
A later drone strike on Kryvyi Rih killed one woman and wounded seven other people.
Zelenskyy blamed the daily strikes on Russia’s unwillingness to end the war: “Every missile, every drone strike proves Russia wants only war," he said, urging Ukraine’s allies to increase pressure on Moscow and bolster Ukraine’s air defenses.
“The United States, Europe, and the rest of the world have enough power to make Russia abandon terror and war,” he said.