North Korea continued developing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs during the first half of 2021 in violation of international sanctions and despite the country's worsening economic situation, according to an excerpt of a confidential United Nations report seen by Reuters on Friday.
The report by a panel of independent sanctions monitors to the U.N. Security Council North Korea sanctions committee said Pyongyang "continued to seek material and technology for these programs overseas."
"Despite the country's focus on its worsening economic travails, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea continued to maintain and develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes," the sanctions monitors concluded.