North Korea dispatched technical teams to Dandong, China and major Russian cities in early November to procure advanced military components like electronic parts and miniature semiconductors that are banned under international sanctions. The roughly ten-person teams from North Korea’s Academy of National Defense Science aim to acquire technology beyond North Korea’s domestic production capabilities.
According to a source in North Korea recently, the primary mission of the teams is to acquire cutting-edge parts to improve North Korea’s military equipment, assess their quality and find reliable routes for sourcing them.
The components in question are crucial for North Korea to enhance its military capabilities but exceed its current technical manufacturing abilities.
The teams have already begun working with brokers in those cities to review samples of essential parts (such as miniature semiconductors), find shipping routes and gain export permits.
The source explained that these teams are focused on finding ways to bring those parts safely into North Korea by circumventing the international community’s sanctions network.
Teams operate overseas under pretense of ‘technical training’
U.N. Security Council Resolution 2397 (adopted in 2017) prohibits the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of all industrial machinery to North Korea.
However, North Korea has never stopped seeking ways to import parts to bolster its military despite these sanctions and technical limitations, and these teams appear to be part of that push.
“The regime is claiming that the Academy of National Defense Science is sending technical teams abroad to provide ‘technical education,’” the source said. “Regime propaganda frequently claims that technical delegations often go to other countries because the North Korean military is the strongest in the world. As a result, some people take pride in North Korea’s military strength, despite its economic weakness.”
The advanced components and technical documents procured by these teams will be sent to North Korea’s Academy of National Defense Science and other military R&D facilities.
Given North Korea’s efforts to diversify its sanctions-evading procurement methods, closer international cooperation may be needed to address the security risks posed by its military advancement.
The technical teams sent overseas by the Academy of National Defense Science plan to return home sometime at the end of this year.
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
November 29, 2024 at 12:06PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)