N Korea grows nuclear program, gains from cyber attacks: UN | Nuclear Weapons News

North Korea has continued to develop nuclear and ballistic missile programs over the past year, and cyberattacks on cryptocurrency exchanges have been a major source of revenue for Pyongyang, according to a secret report from the United Nations news agency Reuters on Saturday.

Independent sanctions monitors presented the annual report to the North Korean Criminal Council of the UN Security Council on Friday afternoon.

“Although no nuclear tests or ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) launches were reported, the RPKK continued to develop its capacity to produce nuclear fissile material,” the experts wrote.

North Korea is formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). It has long been banned by the UN Security Council from firing nuclear tests and ballistic missiles.

“The maintenance and development of the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure continued, and the RPDE continued to seek material, technology and knowledge for these programs abroad, including through cyber pathways and joint scientific research,” the report says.

Since 2006, North Korea has been subject to UN sanctions, and has been strengthened by the Security Council over the years to fund Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Penalty watchers said Pyongyang had seen a “significant acceleration” in missile testing.

The United States and others said Friday that North Korea had it he fired nine ballistic missiles in January, he added that it was the highest monthly number in the history of weapons of mass destruction and missile programs in the country.

“The DPRK has improved its capabilities for faster deployment, improved mobility (including at sea) and improved resilience of missile forces,” the sanctions monitors said.

North Korea’s UN mission in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cyberattacks, illegal trade

Monitors said that “cyberattacks, especially on cryptocurrency assets, remain an important source of revenue” for North Korea and that information was received by North Korean hackers who continued to target financial institutions, cryptocurrency companies and exchanges.

“According to one member state, the RPDC cyber actors stole more than $ 50 million from at least three cryptocurrencies in North America, Europe and Asia between 2020 and 2021,” the report said.

Monitors also cited a report by cybersecurity company Chainalysis last month, which said North Korea had seized at least seven attacks on digital assets that took out nearly $ 400 million worth of digital assets last year.

In 2019, UN sanctions monitors reported that North Korea had raised about $ 2 billion for weapons of mass destruction programs, using more widespread and sophisticated cyberattacks.

A recent report said North Korea’s sharp blockade in response to the COVID-19 pandemic means that “illegal trade, including luxury goods, has been largely disrupted.”

Over the years, the UN Security Council has banned North Korean exports, including coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and restricted imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products.

“Although coal exports from the DPRK grew in the second half of 2021, they were still at relatively low levels,” the monitors said.

“The amount of illegal imports of refined oil rose at the same time, but at a much lower level than in previous years,” the report says. “Non-DPRK vessels have completed direct shipment to the RPKK, probably in response to COVID-19 measures: instead, only the RPDC oil tankers delivered the oil.”

North Korea’s humanitarian situation “continues to deteriorate,” the report said.

Monitors said it was likely the result of the blockade of COVID-19, but North Korea’s lack of information made it difficult to determine whether UN sanctions inadvertently harmed civilians.