UN observers have accused North Korea of developing nuclear weapons and hacking attacks
Photo: KCNA / Reuters
North Korea continued to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs last year. This is stated in a secret report of the UN Security Council, excerpts from which are published by Reuters.
Independent observers monitoring the implementation of the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang indicated that the DPRK is increasing its potential for the production of nuclear fissile materials, and has also made significant progress in missile tests. “The DPRK has demonstrated increased rapid deployment capabilities, broad mobility (including at sea) and increased stability of its missile forces,” the experts said. At the same time, North Korea was looking for documentation and technology for its programs abroad, while some of the information could have been obtained by hackers.
North Korea was also accused of hacking attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges. According to experts, cybercrimes bring a significant part of the revenue to the state treasury.
Observers described the humanitarian situation in North Korea as “deteriorating.” The most likely reason for this is the termination of most external contacts due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the UN Security Council recognized that due to the lack of information, it was difficult to determine how much the sanctions of the World Organization inadvertently harmed the civilian population of the DPRK.
