India Among Countries That Violated UN Sanctions Against North Korea: Report

India has facilitated front companies, financial transactions, and other business activities with North Korea, in violation of United Nations sanctions against the country, a Washington-based think tank said in a recent report. India was among 18 countries that were involved in import of sanctioned goods and minerals from North Korea, the report said.

The countries violated UN sanctions on North Korea to varying degrees between March 2014 and September 2017, according to the report released by the Institute for Science and International Security on Dec. 5.

China, Germany, Brazil, India and France are the country’s top trading partners. India and Singapore recently vowed to ban all trade with the Kim Jong Un-led North Korea.

Thirteen countries, including Angola, Cuba, Mozambique, Tanzania, Iran, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Syria, have been linked with North Korea’s military, the report said. “In some cases, these mostly undemocratic regimes received military training from North Korea; in others, they received or exported military related equipment to or from North Korea,” it elaborated.

The authors of the report analyzed North Korean procurement data published by the UN Panel of Exports for last three and a half years. The report points out that North Korea “often cooperates with or otherwise exploits countries with weak or nonexistent export and proliferation financing controls.”

Twenty countries have helped with shipments to and from North Korea reach their destinations — by “re-flagging” or changing the national registration of ships to hide their origin.

The report illustrates Uganda’s recent decision to expel North Korean officials after years of receiving police and military training from the country’s army as an example of how international pressure can be effective. “The United States and Europe in particular should press every country engaged in military or sanctioned trade with North Korea to stop any such activities and deploy their own sanctions… against those that fail to do so,” it added.

The Donald Trump administration has been trying to tighten the noose on North Korea while China and to some degree Russia have been watering down the sanctions against the country to prevent it from collapsing, the website Vox reported. Tensions have been rising between United States and North Korea, with both country leaders talking of war.