North Korea transferred 100 ballistic missiles to Russia, monitoring team says
A multinational team set up to monitor UN sanctions on North Korea says the country unlawfully transferred at least 100 ballistic missiles to Russia last year.
The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team released its first report on Thursday.
The team was created by 11 countries, including Japan, the United States and South Korea. The move was made after a UN Security Council panel of experts tasked with monitoring the implementation of sanctions against the North ceased its activities last year. Russia used its veto to block the panel's activities.
The report says that last year North Korea also supplied Russia with anti-tank missiles and other weapons in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
It says Pyongyang deployed more than 11,000 troops to Russia in late 2024, and over 3,000 additional soldiers between January and March of this year.
The report says Russia is believed to have provided the North with air defense systems and advanced electronic warfare systems, including jamming equipment.
The report notes that Moscow did not notify the UN committee in charge of the sanctions that it had supplied Pyongyang with refined oil.
It says that Russian-flagged vessels were used to ship artillery shells and other items in large quantities to meet rising demands following the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine.
The monitoring team says it will work with the UN Security Council to identify additional individuals, entities and vessels involved in helping North Korea evade the UN sanctions.
The team also says it will step up efforts to monitor the transfer of items that could contribute to the development of the North's nuclear and missile programs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
25 minutes ago
- Japan Times
41% of Japanese rice farmers expect price drop in 2026
A survey released Friday suggested that 41.0% of large-scale rice farmers in Japan expect retail prices for rice harvested in 2026 to be lower than for rice harvested in 2025, while 22.9% foresee higher prices. Meanwhile, 72.3% expect prices for 2025 rice to be higher than for 2024 rice. The survey was conducted online by the Japan Agricultural Corporations Association from May 12 to 19 and received responses from 188 association members. At a news conference, the association's chairman, Kazushi Saito, expressed concern that prices for 2026 rice "may collapse, making management difficult (for rice farmers)," citing cheap imported rice and an increase in domestic production. For 2024 rice, 53.7% of respondents said current prices are excessively high. Regarding producer prices, 45.2%, the largest group, cited a price range of ¥20,001 to ¥25,000 per 60 kilograms. Compared to 2023 rice, 38.3%, the largest group, said prices are ¥5,001 to ¥10,000 higher, while 5.0% said prices are ¥15,001 to ¥20,000 higher. Asked about their concerns, many respondents pointed to high construction and machinery prices, labor shortages and a possible price slump due to overproduction. The survey comes as rice prices reach record highs in Japan, prompting the government to tap its stockpiles in a bid to bring cheaper rice to the market. On Saturday, some retailers began selling stockpiled rice to consumers for the first time.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Nakatani urges closer defense tie-ups amid erosion of rules-based order
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani called Saturday for closer defense cooperation among like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific region in order to strengthen the global rules-based order and — in an implicit criticism of China — act as a counter to countries seeking to erode the status quo. The Japanese defense chief used a speech before scores of his counterparts and military brass in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's leading security conference, to push for closer cooperation and coordination, 'while ensuring openness, inclusiveness and transparency, with an aim of restoring a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region, strengthening accountability and promoting the international public good.' Nakatani said the need to unite on defense cooperation was clear, pointing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine — a violation of the U.N. charter — and Beijing's moves in the disputed South China Sea, including its decision to openly ignore a 2016 international arbitral tribunal ruling that dismissed the country's claim to most of the strategic waterway. Without directly naming China, Nakatani had strong words for Beijing and the precedent it has attempted to set in the South China Sea and by quickly building up its military forces and dispatching them to flash points, such as in the waters and airspace near Taiwan and Japan. 'There is a serious disregard for accountability,' Nakatani said. 'In the South China Sea, the very country that previously declared it had no intention of militarizing the area is rapidly advancing militarization. Additionally, there has been a sharp increase in military buildup, including nuclear forces lacking transparency, and provocative military activities in the region. 'This poses a significant obstacle to maintaining trust in the defense arena,' he said. Pointing to rising numbers of state-sponsored cyberattacks as well as repeated attempts to damage undersea cables crucial for communications and economic livelihoods, Nakatani also appeared to direct his fire at Beijing, saying that "some countries that do not share common values and interests are willing to attack the foundations of our society and economy for their own interests." Chinese-backed hackers are said to have been behind a number of cyberattacks on Japan, the U.S. and others, while Chinese-flagged ships have damaged or cut undersea cables in the Baltic Sea and near Taiwan. In response to these moves, Tokyo has ramped up defense cooperation and coordination with scores of countries both in the region and further afield — and has pledged to do even more. Unveiling Japan's new OCEAN (One Cooperative Effort Among Nations) initiative during his speech, Nakatani said that even more like-minded nations could work together, 'taking a comprehensive view of the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.' 'Now is the time for countries to join hands under OCEAN, engage in dialogue, and work to restore, rather than dissolve, the rules-based international order; to realize, rather than ignore, accountability; and to promote, rather than undermine, the international public good,' he said. But Nakatani also echoed French President Emmanuel Macron, who a day earlier opened the conference with a speech focused on the need to maintain a degree of 'strategic autonomy' at a time when the United States and China have demanded that countries pick a side in their growing rivalry. While saying that the Japan-U.S. alliance 'will continue to be the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the region and the world,' Nakatani also appeared to hint at the need for Tokyo to carefully calibrate its relationships, including its ties with Washington. 'There is a healthy and growing caution against excessive dependence on a single country that does not share common values and interests,' Nakatani said. 'Maintaining an appropriate level of strategic autonomy is an important foundation for maintaining stable relations in the defense field.' These tacit remarks come as Japan grapples with how best to secure its interests in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's unpredictable approach to foreign policy. Japan has not been spared his wrath as Trump slapped both friends and foes alike with onerous tariffs while simultaneously calling long-standing alliances unfair, including Washington's security pact with Tokyo. The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, who spoke during the same panel discussion as Nakatani, also doubled down on the need for deepened cooperation, reiterating former Prime Minster Fumio Kishida's mantra that 'Ukraine today could be East Asia tomorrow.' Pointing to alleged Chinese shipments of dual-use products to Russia for its war in Ukraine and the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers for the same conflict, Kallas said that the security of Europe 'is very much interlinked' with Asia, and that defense cooperation is crucial. 'If you think that you can just focus on one region because it doesn't concern you, then I think ... you are on the wrong track,' she said. 'We can only address these big global concerns if we act together,' she added. Nakatani, for his part, welcomed the involvement of European countries, as well as NATO, in the Indo-Pacific region, expressing his intention to beef up cooperation. But, asked following his speech how the OCEAN concept related to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's idea of an 'Asian NATO,' Nakatani was coy, reiterating only that it is continuing to be discussed within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
NHK
2 hours ago
- NHK
Trump accuses China of 'violating' trade agreement with US
US President Donald Trump says China has "violated" a trade agreement with his nation. Trump posted on social media on Friday, "I made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation." He said, "Because of this deal, everything quickly stabilized and China got back to business as usual." He added that everyone was happy and that was the good news. Trump then said there was bad news, adding, "China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US." But the president did not specify how China violated the agreement. Trump was later asked about this post by reporters at the White House. He repeated that China had violated the agreement and expressed confidence that he will speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said, "Hopefully, we'll work that out." Trump's comments came after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Thursday that trade talks with China were "a bit stalled." The US and China agreed this month to cut additional tariffs on each other by 115 percentage points. Washington is calling for more market access and reducing the bilateral trade deficit. Trump is apparently dissatisfied with Beijing's response, and concerns are growing that the trade tensions could escalate again, depending on future negotiations.
