Wine and Diamonds: How North Korea Dodges Sanctions

TOKYO — The United Nations detailed on Friday how North Korea gets around international sanctions designed to hobble the government and its nuclear weapons program. President Trump, after accepting an invitation last week to meet personally this spring with the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, said that sanctions would remain in place during any talks.

But the United Nations report shows just how difficult it is for governments to police North Korea and how widespread illicit trade with it is. The experts who compiled the report detailed violations across several countries, including Bulgaria, China, Germany, India, Myanmar, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Tanzania and Uganda.

“It’s really kind of remarkable the scope of activities they are engaging in,” said Peter Harrell, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, adding, “It brings home the fact that the North Korean tentacles still do have some global reach.”

Read the full article on the New York Times.