It has been reported that North Korea dispatched a technical working group comprised of researchers from the Academy of Defense Development to Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, and major cities in Russia to bypass sanctions against North Korea and procure cutting-edge military components. They are said to be carrying out activities overseas to secure high-end parts that North Korea cannot produce on its own and send them to North Korea.
According to Daily NK’s internal North Korean source on the 26th, North Korea’s Academy of Defense Development dispatched a technical working group of about 10 people to China and Russia early this month to secure advanced technology components, including micro-semiconductors and electrical and electronic components subject to sanctions against North Korea.
The main mission of the working group is to secure cutting-edge components that can improve the performance of military equipment, check their quality, and establish a reliable procurement route.
The parts that the working group is currently trying to obtain from overseas are essential parts to achieve North Korea’s goal of strengthening its defense capabilities, but it is known that North Korea’s current technological capabilities make it impossible to produce them in-house.
In fact, in cooperation with local brokers, the working group has begun to secure and examine samples of essential procurement components, including ultra-small semiconductors, find logistics transportation routes, and go through import and export permit procedures.
Above all, the explanation is that they are concentrating on finding ways to safely bring cutting-edge components into North Korea while avoiding the international community’s sanctions network.
The UN Security Council prohibits the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of all industrial machinery to North Korea through resolution 2397 (2017) on sanctions against North Korea.
However, North Korea has been constantly seeking ways to import parts to strengthen its defense capabilities amidst such sanctions and technological limitations, and the dispatch of this working group is seen as part of that effort.
The source said, “This dispatch of a technical working group to the Academy of Defense Development is known domestically as ‘technology transfer,’” adding, “Because our country (North Korea) is the world’s strongest military force, it is frequently advertised that it continues to send technical visiting teams to various countries. “As a result, there are some people who take pride in the fact that the economy is poor but our national defense is strong,” he said.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the cutting-edge parts and technical data obtained by the working group from overseas, such as China and Russia, will be immediately delivered to the Academy of Defense Development and related units after being brought into North Korea. As a result, the development and research of military equipment is expected to accelerate. It is expected.
In particular, North Korea’s strategy is to continue to diversify its routes to secure and import cutting-edge components that bypass sanctions against North Korea, so the need for cooperation from the international community in response to threats to international order and security caused by North Korea’s expansion of military technology is expected to increase further.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the technical working group of the Agency for Defense Development that performed this dispatched mission is scheduled to return to Korea by the end of the year.
Source: www.dailynk.com
