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.



Ukraine Seeks Air Defense Systems as Western Backers Meet without the Pentagon Chief

(L-R) Supreme Allied Commander Europe SACEUR General Christopher G. Cavoli, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey, Defense Minister of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian Brigadier General Volodymyr Horbatiuk attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense ministers meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 04 June 2025. (EPA)
(L-R) Supreme Allied Commander Europe SACEUR General Christopher G. Cavoli, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey, Defense Minister of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian Brigadier General Volodymyr Horbatiuk attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense ministers meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 04 June 2025. (EPA)
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Ukraine Seeks Air Defense Systems as Western Backers Meet without the Pentagon Chief

(L-R) Supreme Allied Commander Europe SACEUR General Christopher G. Cavoli, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey, Defense Minister of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian Brigadier General Volodymyr Horbatiuk attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense ministers meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 04 June 2025. (EPA)
(L-R) Supreme Allied Commander Europe SACEUR General Christopher G. Cavoli, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey, Defense Minister of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian Brigadier General Volodymyr Horbatiuk attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense ministers meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 04 June 2025. (EPA)

Ukraine’s president on Wednesday urged Western backers to speed up deliveries of air defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes and to help boost weapons production.

The emphasis should be on US-made Patriot systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskky told a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

"These are the most effective way to force Russia to stop its missile strikes and terror," he said via video link, urging representatives of around 50 countries to make good on past pledges.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend, the first time a Pentagon chief has been absent since the forum for organizing Ukraine's military aid was set up three years ago. Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, created the group after Russia launched all-out war on Ukraine in 2022.

His absence is the latest step that the Trump administration has taken to distance itself from Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. More than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to UN estimates, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides.

Zelenskyy also appealed to the participants to buy weapons direct from Ukraine. "Ukrainian industry still has significant untapped capacity, it just needs financing," he said, underlining that a funding gap for weapons procurement amounts to about $18 billion.

The UK, which chaired the meeting along with Germany, said it plans a tenfold increase in drone production to help Ukraine. Drones have become a decisive factor in the war, now in its fourth year.

"We must ensure that Ukraine’s forces have what they need, when they need it, to continue their fight. But this is not just Ukraine’s battle. It’s a battle for the security of Europe, for our security today, tomorrow, and for our future generations," UK Defense Secretary John Healey said.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene said that "you recognize true friends not during a party, but when you do have difficult times. So therefore, our continuation of support for Ukraine and increasing it is of utmost importance."

Since the contact group was formed, Ukraine’s backers have collectively provided around $126 billion in weapons and military assistance, including more than $66.5 billion from the US.

The United States hasn't chaired a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group since the Trump administration took office in January.

European NATO allies are concerned that the US might withdraw troops from Europe to focus on the Indo-Pacific. French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that abandoning Ukraine would erode US credibility in deterring any conflict with China over Taiwan.