Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that North Korea has (1) illegally sold minerals, gold, drugs, coal, and weapons, and (2) misused the flags of other nations to avoid international maritime inspection.

North Korea continues to undertake activities prohibited by a number of UN Security Council Resolutions including illegal exports of coal and the use of deceptive shipping practices. We are working with our international partners to ensure that all existing UN Security Council measures in respect of North Korea are fully, and effectively, implemented. In addition, we welcome the work of the UN Panel of Experts who are mandated to gather, examine and analyse information provided by States on their implementation of the measures, as well as information on incidents of non-compliance. The Panel's latest report details continued evasion of sanctions by North Korea and insufficient implementation of sanctions by a wide range of countries. The report and previous reports can be found on the UN Security Council website.