North Korea

(asked on 23rd March 2015) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report of the United Nations Panel of Experts on the DPRK, published on 23 February 2015, what steps he has taken to prevent North Korean diplomats, officials and trade representatives from engaging in illicit activities.


Answered by
Lord Swire Portrait
Lord Swire
This question was answered on 26th March 2015

We are concerned by the evidence in the Panel of Experts’ report that diplomats, officials and trade representatives of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continue to play key roles in facilitating trade of prohibited items. The DPRK’s global proliferation activity not only provides revenue for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but also threatens global security. The UK is committed to upholding UN Security Council Resolutions on the DPRK which encourage Member States to exercise vigilance over all activities of DPRK diplomatic personnel.

The UK supports the Panel of Experts by raising awareness of the potential for the DPRK to misuse its diplomatic premises for proliferation and procurement purposes, and by encouraging UN member states to identify any illicit activity. In March 2015, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hosted a visit by the Coordinator of the UN Panel of Experts to the UK, during which the issues raised by the Panel’s report were discussed.

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